m^£  THE 
NORTHERNER 


NORAH  DAVIS 


THE    NORTHERNER 


THE 

NORTHERNER 


By 

NORAH     DAVIS 


"Yea,  though  we  sinned — and  our  rulers  went  from  righteousness  — 
Deep  in  all  dishonor  though  we  stained  our  garments'  hem  : 
Oh,  be  ye  not  dismayed, 
Though  we  stumbled  and  we  strayed, 
We  were  led  by  evil  counselors  —  the  Lord  shall  deal  with  them.* 

"  The  Seven  Seas."    Kipling. 


NEW     YORK 

GROSSET    &    DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1905,  bj 
THE  CENTURY  C». 

Published  October,  1905 


3507 


DEDICATED   WITH    CORDIAL   REGAR» 
TO   MY    BROTHER-IN-LAW 

JUDGE   DAVID  D.   SHELBY 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PACK 

I.  AN  AMERICAN  GENTLEMAN       ...        3 

II.  A  WOMAN  AND  A  WALTZ          ...       25 

III.  THE  DARK  THREAD  IN  THE  WOOF  .         .       36 

IV.  "WHERE  Is  WOMAN'S  FANCY  BRED?"    .       45 
V.  THIS  THING  You  CALL  COMPLEXION  GOES 

TO  THE  BONE 65 

VI.  "Is  HE  NOT  A  MAN  AND  A  BROTHER?"       73 

VII.  IN  THE  PRIMROSE  PATH    .         .         .         .83 

VIII.  A  BATTLE  OF  THE  STRONG        ...       96 

IX.  AN  HONORABLE  UNDERSTANDING   AMONG 

GENTLEMEN  ! 105 

X.     THOU  SHALT  NOT 116 

XI.     ALIEN! 138 

XII.  WITHOUT  BENEFIT  OF  CLERGY           .         .163 

XIII.  THE  CURSE    OF  DIXIE         .         .         .         .176 

XIV.  «!N  MY  LADY'S  CHAMBER"      .         .         .193 

XV.  THE   STRANGER  WITHIN  THEIR  GATES       .     202 

XVI.     THE  VERDICT 213 

XVII.     THE  MOB 220 

XVIII.     A  LIFE  FOR  A  LIFE 233 

XIX.     HE  OR  I  —  CHOOSE  ! 245 

XX.     UNCLE  CAD'S  WIFE 255 

XXI.  THE  MOOD  OF  WOMAN  —  WHO  CAN  TELL  ?     266 

vli 


vin 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

XXII. 

XXIU. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 


HEARTS  INSURGENT   . 
LOVE  WILL  FIND  THE  WAY 
A  WOMAN'S  VERDICT 
"Mr  LOVE  IN  DIXIE" 


PAOK 

'283 
294 
301 
311 


THE  NORTHERNER 


THE    NORTHERNER 


AN    AMERICAN    GENTLEMAN 

WHAT  is  this  you  are  letting  me  in  for  to-night^ 
Hallett?  Had  you  not  better  give  me  points?  I 
don't  know  that  I  am  altogether  up  in  the  form  required 
by  an  entertainment  given  to  the  '  noble  dead/  "  said  Falls, 
as  he  and  Hallett  were  making  their  leisurely  way  out  to 
Hillcrest.  They  had  left  the  town  and  were  climbing  the 
steep,  rocky  street  leading  to  Judge  Adair's  house  upon 
the  foot-hills  just  outside  of  town. 

In  front  of  them,  across  the  dip  of  the  valley,  lay 
the  long,  low  ranges  of  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  fold 
upon  fold,  as  though  the  horizon  were  rucked  at  its 
edges;  at  their  right,  and  between  them  and  the  open 
fields,  was  a  hedge  of  Cherokee  roses  —  a  wall  of  glistening 
foliage  starred  with  flat,  white  velvet  blossoms  set  thickly 
with  sharp  thorns;  and  about  them  glowed  the  subdued 
brilliance  of  the  newly  fallen  night. 

Both  men  wore  immaculate  evening  dress,  Falls 
wearing  his  with  the  unconsciousness  of  the  man  to  whom 

3 


4  THE    NORTHERNER 

perfect  and  correct  dress  is  the  result  of  long  habit 
of  precision  in  such  matters,  while  Hallett's  elaborate 
grooming  betrayed  something  of  the  effort  which  it  un 
doubtedly  had  cost  him.  He  was  adjusting  a  rose,  from 
the  hedge  &l  his  side,  in  his  buttonhole;  and  he  finished 
its  arrangement,  critically  viewing  the  effect  against  his 
black  coat,  before  he  answered  Falls. 

"It  is  hard  to  say  just  what  it  is,  exactly;  so  much 
is  in  the  point  of  view.  To  you,  for  instance,  it  is  an 
opportunity,  and  a  capital  one,  of  meeting  in  a  social  way 
all  the  best  people  in  Adairville;  that  is  really  why  I 
asked  Miss  Adair  for  the  invitation.  To  me,  it  is  an 
insufferable  bore.  In  its  more  serious  aspect  —  the  way 
in  which  the  people  who  are  doing  it,  you  know,  take  it 

—  it  is  a  sacred  tribute  to  the  heroes  of  what  they  call '  The 
Lost  Cause/  meaning  the  under  dog  in  the  *  late  unpleas 
antness  '  I    To  the  spectators  —  there  will  be  quite  a  few, 
Hillcrest  is  a  charming  house,  and  there  is  some  talk  of 
a  dance  after  the  business  of  the  evening  — " 

"  Dance ! "  echoed  Falls,  a  trifle  scandalized,  "  is  that 
also  a  part  of  the  sacred  tribute?" 

"The  dance  will  come  on  later,  after  the  tribute  has 
been  disposed  of.  Oh,  yes;  well,  to  be  explicit,  The 
Daughters  of  the  Confederacy,  the  local  chapter,  are  to 
present  what  they  call '  The  Southern  Cross  of  Honor/ >: 

—  he  broke  off  with  a  short  laugh,  "  it  has  '  Deo  Vindice  * 
on  its  reverse!  —  to  the  veterans  of  the  Eeb —    George! 
What  a  slip !    I  'm  glad  no  one  was  by !    I  mean,  the  Con 
federate  army.  .  .  .  And  you  '11  hear  Watson  speak." 

"What  else  will  there  be  besides  old  soldiers  and  old 
women?"  pursued  Falls,  unappeased  by  the  social  feast 
which  Hallett  was  spreading  for  his  delectation. 


AN   AMERICAN    GENTLEMAN       5 

"  Moonlight  —  "  Hallett  took  a  long,  silent  pull  at  his 
cigar,  "  and  roses,  and  —  Betty  Archer !  " 

"Is  that  all?" 

"  All  ?  For  heaven's  sake,  man,  what  more  do  you  want  ? 
June  in  Dixie  —  moonlight  and  —  Betty  Archer !  Do 
you  waltz,  Falls?" 

"  No ;  that  is,  I  hardly  know ;  it  has  been  a  good 
many  years  since  I  had  time  to  waltz." 

They  smoked,  for  a  space,  in  silence,  which  Hallett 
broke  abruptly: 

"  This  is  hardly  the  time  for  business,  but  — "  he 
paused,  tentatively,  his  glance  rather  keenly  fixed  upon 
his  companion. 

Falls's  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  dark  bulwark  of  the 
mountain  rising  against  the  star-spangled  scroll  of  the 
sky,  in  a  long  abstracted  gaze  full  of  keen  speculation,  as 
he  paused  upon  his  answer. 

"  Yes,"  he  said  at  last,  quietly,  "  it  goes." 

After  an  instant,  in  which  he  strove  successfully  to 
cover  his  keen  triumph  at  the  consummation  of  the  deal, 
Hallett  turned  to  his  companion  with  an  interest  frankly 
stimulated  by  his  decision.  They  had  paused  beside  an 
opening  in  the  hedge,  and  Hallett  ran  his  eye  over  Falls's 
handsome  figure,  leaning  upon  the  rail  beside  him  in  a 
poise  of  easy  strength,  with  a  glance  which  mentally  ap 
praised  him. 

"  Soldier  of  Fortune,"  he  had  summed  Falls  up,  when  he 
had  met  him  a  week  before  at  the  station  in  Adairville, 
"plus  brains  and  —  devil!  Well,  he  '11  need  Jem  both 
before  he  's  done  with  the  Power  and  Passenger  Com 
pany  and  its  —  er  —  complications !  " 

His  first  impression  of  the  man  had  been  of  his  force- 


6  THE    NORTHERNER 

fulness,  and  after  a  week  of  intercourse  he  found  the 
initial  impression  unmodified.  Falls  was  the  typical 
American  man  of  affairs.  Tall,  broad  of  shoulder,  and 
thin  of  flank  and  in  the  full  flush  of  superb  maturity, 
he  had  the  long-limbed  ease  of  motion  and  the  absolute 
stillness  in  repose  which  only  the  possession  of  muscles 
like  great  smooth  bands  of  elastic  steel  could  give  to  a 
man  of  his  height  and  build.  He  leaned  upon  the  rail, 
his  hat  in  his  hand,  his  steady  eyes  upon  the  undulating 
line  of  the  mountain,  unconscious  of  the  other  man's 
glance,  which  weighed  him  against  a  situation  undreamed 
of,  as  yet,  in  Falls's  philosophy. 

The  lucid  moonlight  showed  to  Hallett  his  profile  from 
the  parting,  exactly  above  his  brow,  in  his  thick  dark 
hair,  to  his  clean-shaven  unsmiling  mouth,  which,  with 
the  chin  below  it,  seemed  cast  in  a  mould  of  inflexible 
decision.  The  bold  sweep  of  his  brows,  bent  sharply  in 
at  their  juncture,  lent  an  expression  of  gloom  to  eyes 
which  in  themselves  established  Falls's  only  claim  to 
beauty.  For  the  rest,  every  line  and  contour  in  the  harsh, 
authoritative  face  expressed  an  assured,  almost  an  arrogant, 
confidence  in  its  owner's  will  to  dare  and  power  to  do. 

During  the  week  just  past,  it  had  afforded  Hallett  keen, 
though  discreetly  suppressed  amusement,  to  note  the  effect 
of  the  man's  personality  upon  the  town. 

Under  a  gold  vulture's  wings  on  the  peak  of  a  Viking's 
helmet,  his  hand  hard  on  the  tiller,  with  the  boat  scud 
ding  along  in  an  angry  sea,  the  north  wind  in  his  nostrils 
and  the  black  billows  under  his  feet,  Falls  would  have  been 
magnificent,  and  quite  in  character.  But  against  Adair- 
ville  as  a  background,  clad  in  a  suit  of  Merwin  tweeds, 
in  the  first  hot  days  in  June,  it  cannot  be  denied  that 


AN   AMERICAN    GENTLEMAN       7 

Falls  had  seemed  a  bit  strenuous,  or  that  Adairville  had 
found  him  so ! 

Hallett  smiled  mentally  now,  as  a  fragment  of  a 
street  scene  witnessed  the  day  before  floated  through  his 
mind.  In  some  inexplicable  way  'Dairville  had  accepted 
Falls  personally!  His  energy,  his  tweeds,  his  accent 
seemed,  collectively  and  severally,  a  personal  affront;  his 
strenuousness  got  on  the  nerves  of  the  loungers  upon  the 
flags  in  front  of  the  Adair  Hotel  —  the  one  spot  in  the 
whole  town  where  aristocracy  of  caste  was  merged  into 
democracy  of  opinion  —  and  as  he  passed  among  their 
serried  ranks,  eyes  from  beneath  tipped-down  hat-brims 
and  behind  the  flaccid  sheets  of  local  dailies  followed  him 
in  silent  challenge. 

"  Who  's  he  ?  "  asked  Berkley  Kane,  as  he  joined  a  group, 
extending  his  hand  impartially  to  the  first  man  he  en 
countered,  who  promptly  placed  therein  a  plug  of 
tobacco. 

"  'Lectric  light  man." 

"  Not  another  one  er  them  same  —  " 

"Naw;  this  here  's  er  a  new  deal.  Falls  —  that  's 
him  —  he  's  the  whole  push,  so  they  tell  me.  He  's  It !  " 

Falls  had  added  nothing  to  his  almost  monosyllabic 
reply,  frankly  leaving  the  amenities  of  the  occasion,  if 
there  were  to  be  any,  to  the  other  man.  Hallett  promptly 
assumed  them;  and  gliding  easily  from  a  business  to  a 
social  basis,  proffered  suave  congratulations  and  genial 
assurances. 

"  Personally,  you  know,  Falls,  and,  er  —  for  the  town 
as  well."  Falls  met  his  civic  courtesies  with  a  flat  indif 
ference  which  had  the  rather  disconcerting  effect  of 


8  THE    NORTHERNER 

making  them  seem  mere  meretriciousness.  His  austere 
personality  had  often  this  disconcerting  effect  upon  men 
—  more  often  men  than  women ;  women  found  the  frank 
indifference,  which  was  to  men  a  flat  rebuff,  piquant  — 
and  always  to  Falls's  grave  surprise. 

"  I  am  heartily  glad  of  your  decision,  Mr.  Falls,"  Hal- 
lett  persisted,  refusing  to  be  rebuffed  by  his  companion's 
lack  of  responsiveness.  "  We  will  be  glad  to  have  you 
settle  here  permanently;  I  know  the  sentiment  of  the 
town  toward  Northern  immigration.  The  truth  is,  we 
need  men  of  precisely  your  sort.  Need  them  badly.  The 
town  is  somewhat  overstocked  with  Northern  capital,"  he 
paused  to  annotate  this  statement  with  a  smile  of  sunny 
significance,  "but  what  the  town  does  need  is  the  men 
themselves.  Northern  push  and  vigor  are  the  very  things 
to  carry  through  all  sorts  of  local  enterprises." 

"Who  takes  care  of  their  own  enterprises,  while  they 
are  pushing  local  affairs  ?  "  asked  Falls  carelessly. 

Hallett  turned  a  casual  glance  upon  him  as  he  answered  : 

"  Oh,  it  is  all  one ;  you  push  your  own  interests  by 
pushing  the  town's." 

"  I  never  engage  in  cooperative  financiering,"  said  Falls ; 
"  I  seek,  frankly,  my  own  interest  in  coming  here.  Adair- 
ville  may  go  to  the  devil  for  all  I  care ! " 

Hallett  laughed  his  musical,  unamused  laugh,  without 
further  comment;  but  he  had  forever  settled  in  his  own 
mind  the  question  of  Falls's  adequacy  to  deal  with  the 
"  situation." 

"  Aye,"  he  said  to  himself  as  they  strode  on,  "  they  11 
crucify  his  pride  and  break  his  heart  —  if  he  has  brought 
it  here  with  him,  and  I  think  he  has  —  and  absorb  his 
capital,  and  refer  him  to  the  devil  for  his  damages. 


AN   AMERICAN    GENTLEMAN       9 

That  'B  Dixie  all  over ;  but  —  it 's  the  best  country  on  God's 
green  earth  for  all  that ;  and  I  wouldn't  go  back  to  Massa 
chusetts  if  they  'd  make  me  governor." 

"This  is  the  house,"  he  said  a  moment  later  as  they 
came  abreast  of  a  mass  of  dark  shrubbery,  overtopped  by 
waving  branches,  black  against  the  sky,  "Judge  Adair's 
house,  Hillcreet;  this  is  the  side  entrance,  the  low  gate, 
they  call  it;  the  house  fronts  the  hill  above  us." 

Falls  paused  in  frank  admiration  of  the  stately  old  house 
which  crowned  the  rounded  hilltop  above  the  street  where 
they  stood.  It  was  a  wide  Colonial  house,  built  of  the 
creamy-buff  sandstone  found  in  the  Cumberland  Moun 
tains,  and  seen,  as  Falls  saw  it  now  for  the  first  time, 
bathed  from  cornice  to  door-stone  in  a  flood  of  moonlight, 
it  seemed  fashioned  of  alabaster.  It  was  surrounded  by  a 
mantle  of  verdure  which  trailed  downward  to  the  very 
street  below. 

Wide  colonnades,  whose  heavy  cornices  were  supported 
upon  groups  of  pillars,  surrounded  it  on  three  sides;  on 
the  fourth,  the  side  which  faced  the  two  young  men  in 
the  street  below,  the  hill  fell  sharply  away  in  a  succession 
of  terraces.  Through  the  dusk  as  they  looked  upward, 
flight  after  flight  of  broken  marble  stairs  gleamed  pallidty, 
leading  upward  seven,  eight,  nine,  ten  terraces  to  the  rose- 
hung  gallery  above. 

" '  Befo'  de  wah,'  "  said  Hallett,  dryly,  as  Falls  whistled 
softly,  counting  the  terraces,  "this  girl's  great-grand 
father,  old  Admiral  Adair  —  old  buccaneer!  —  built  this 
house  and  dug  those  terraces  with  his  own  slaves ;  he  owned 
no  end  of  them  on  plantations  in  the  Mississippi- Yazoo 
Delta,  and  he  brought  them  here  in  droves  and  worked 
them  —  " 


io  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  To  good  purpose,  I  must  say !  "  cried  Falls.  "  Your 
new  South,  Hallett,  is  a  beggar  maid  indeed,  beside 
Dixie !" 

Hallett  made  no  answer,  but  opened  a  little  gate  set 
in  the  privet  hedge,  and  together  they  made  their  way  up 
two  of  the  lower  terraces  to  where  they  had  a  clear  view 
of  the  airy  gallery  above,  hung  with  a  tapestry  of  roses. 
Under  the  dense  shade  of  the  trees  the  air  was  damp  and 
almost  cold,  and  saturated  with  the  pungent  perfume  of 
honeysuckle,  which  hung  in  great,  pendent  masses  from 
every  wall  and  trellis. 

Hallett,  groping  his  way  in  advance,  paused  suddenly, 
and,  turning  back,  laid  his  hand  upon  Falls's  arm  and 
pointed  silently  upward  to  the  terraces  just  above  them,, 
upon  the  farther  end  of  which  a  high-arched  arbor  rose 
against  the  moonlit  spaces  of  the  sky.  A  cascade  of  bloom 
flowed  over  it,  draping  its  openings  with  curtains  of  pale 
purple  wistaria.  In  the  arch  of  the  farther  opening  a 
woman's  delicate  figure  seemed  poised  upon  air.  Her 
floating  draperies  melted  into  the  gloom  about  her  feet, 
but  her  graceful  head  and  shoulders  were  as  clearly  cut 
as  a  cameo  against  the  pale  amethyst  sky  behind  her.  A 
man's  form  emerged  from  the  darkness  at  her  feet,  half- 
kneeling,  half-sitting,  upon  the  step  below  her,  with  one 
arm  about  her,  his  massive  head  thrown  back  against  her 
in  seemingly  impassioned  appeal. 

As  they  gazed  in  silence,  the  picture,  set  in  its  frame  of 
living  bud  and  blossom,  changed;  the  man  rose,  and 
Falls  heard  a  smothered  exclamation  at  his  side. 

"  "Watson,  by  all  that 's  great !  " 

They  saw  him  lift  the  girl's  hanging  hands  and  knew 
that  he  kissed  their  palms;  he  raised  them  to  his  neck, 


AN    AMERICAN    GENTLEMAN      n 

the  two  forms  blotted  into  one,  the  man's  head  bent  down 
ward  to  the  head  upon  his  breast.  "  Come,  Hallett,"  said 
Falls  roughly,  "  let  'a  get  out  of  this !  This  is  actionable 
—  why,  it  's  indecent,  spying  upon  a  man  like  this! 
Who  was  the  woman  ?  "  he  asked,  as  they  made  their  way  to 
the  entrance  above. 

"  Betty  Archer  —  and  the  man  was  Watson." 

Falls  passed  his  hand  over  his  eyes,  pushing  back  the 
short  hair  from  his  brow  where  beads  of  sweat  were  cling 
ing.  "  It  was  like  a  scene  from  an  opera ;  exquisitely  set, 
exquisitely  rendered!  I  cannot  get  away  from  it;  it 
clings  like  a  perfume !  " 

"  I  don't  want  to  get  shut  of  it,"  declared  Hallett  with 
energetic  decision;  Hallett  occasionally  allowed  himself 
one  of  his  boyhood's  colloquialisms  in  moments  of  excite 
ment.  "  I  would  not  take  five  hundred  dollars  for  having 
seen  it !  " 

"  You  set  a  high  value  upon  a  bit  of  experience  which 
in  honor  can  never  be  mentioned !  "  said  Falls. 

"  It  's  something,  even  to  have  seen  another  man  kiss 
as  pretty  a  woman  as  Betty  Archer!  I  shall  enjoy  it  — 
er  —  vicariously,  you  know,  in  the  lonely  watches  of  the 
night!  I  used  to  be  decidedly  gone  on  the  lovely  Betty 
myself,  when  I  first  came  to  Alabama;  but  there  's  metal 
more  attractive  — '; 

He  gave  Falls  a  side  glance  from  under  his  drooped 
lid,  but  Falls  was  busied  in  self-congratulation  that  none 
of  his  own  private  experiences  graced  the  walls  of  Mr. 
Hallett's  mental  picture-gallery,  and  did  not  perceive  the 
covert  look. 

When  the  two  young  men  reached  the  entrance  to  Hill- 
crest,  the  impetuous  Southern  night  had  fallen  some  time 


12  THE    NORTHERNER 

before.  The  sward  of  the  great,  fan-shaped  lawns  was 
frosted  with  moonlight,  and  patched  with  black  velvet 
shadows  of  elms  and  cedars  scattered  about  its  level 
expanse. 

The  air  was  filled  with  a  steady  hum  of  talk,  punctuated 
by  ecstatic  shrieks  of  women's  laughter  rising  above  the 
deeper  resonance  of  masculine  voices. 

"  Did  you  say  something  about  dropping  a  tear,  Hal- 
lett,  on  this  solemn  occasion  ?  "  inquired  Falls,  with  a  grin, 
as  they  skirted  the  lawn  on  their  way  to  the  house.  "  Are 
you  sure  it  will  be  in  order  ?  " 

"  The  tears  will  be  in  order  when  Watson  speaks  —  the 
women  always  cry  when  he  speaks.  This  is  between  the 
acts!" 

The  house  was  not  lighted  from  within,  the  moon  high 
in  the  dark  blue  field  of  the  sky  bravely  doing  link-boy 
duty  for  the  whole  affair,  which  was  distinctly  al  fresco 
in  character.  Chairs  were  scattered  about  the  pavements 
of  the  colonnades  for  the  older  people,  those  to  whom  dew- 
wet  grass  and  dew-chilled  air  had  lost  their  charm  twenty 
years  before;  many  of  the  chairs  were  already  occupied, 
and  on  the  steps  to  the  colonnades,  which  were  one  soft 
dazzle  of  moonlight,  groups  of  friends  and  kinsfolk 
lingered  in  laughing  talk,  parted,  and  reunited  for  one 
more  word  of  soft-voiced,  drawling  jesting,  touched  now 
and  then  with  a  quiet  note  of  sadness  in  a  half-spoken, 
half-withdrawn  word  of  remembrance  when  the  speaker 
was  a  woman,  or  of  stern  bitterness  from  the  lips  of  a 
man. 

Bareheaded  women  walked  about  the  lawns,  holding  their 
white  skirts  gathered  high  in  one  hand,  like  great  white 
carnations.  The  air  was  filled  with  calls,  greetings,  scraps 


AN   AMERICAN    GENTLEMAN      13 

of  war  talk ;  the  words  "  Dixie  "  and  "  th'  Confederacy  n 
fell  constantly  from  lips  which  spoke  them  as  carelessly 
as  they  said  "  Alabama  "  and  "  Holmes  County." 

Here  and  there  men  in  rough  jeans  and  limp  cotton 
shirts,  their  hats  held  awkwardly  in  their  hands,  stood 
about,  with  keen  eyes  alert  for  some  old  commander,  some 
well-loved  "  Captain  "  or  "  Colonel "  whose  set  face  they 
had  last  seen,  perhaps,  as  they  had  followed  him  through 
the  smoke  of  battle  for  the  sake  of  what  they  now  reverently 
called  "  th'  Lost  Cause." 

"Why,  howdy,  Cur'nel —  ya'as,  fum  Sa-a-nd  Mountain 
.  .  .  crapping  yit ! "  .  .  .  "  Are  the  veterans  all  coining  ? 
Will  they  wear  their  uniforms?  —  Oh,  so  much  more 
romantic,  you  know !"..."  Romantic !  Gawd  A'mighty ! 
Well,  it  may  seem  romantic  now  !"..."  Who  's  going  to 
pin  on  the  Crosses?"  .  .  .  "Oh,  Betty  Archer!  Why 
Betty  ?"..."  Why,  Clem  Archer,  you  know !  He  and  his 
son  —  Betty's  father,  Ben  Archer  —  went  to  the  wah  to 
gether.  Ben  was  only  sixteen  years  old ;  he  and  his  father 
fought  side  by  side  —  the  boy  buried  him,  there  on  the 
battle-field,  after  the  Seven  Days'  fight  —  "  "I  he'ped  him 
do  it ! "  said  a  grave  voice  from  the  shadows,  where  a  tall 
mountaineer  stood  shyly  lost  in  the  shadow  of  a  cedar,  "  an* 
I  ain't  never  seed  'im  fum  that  day  to  this'n!  .  .  .  You 
doan't  say  ?  I  'd  sho'  love  to  see  'im !  " 

"Ain't  that  Gen'rul  Armstrong  er  standin'  over  there 
er  talkin'  to  that  lady?  Ain't  he  th'  one  as  was  goin' 
t'  drink  all  th'  blood  shed  in  th'  wah?" 

"  Ya'as,  I  b'lieve  so,  but  's  fur  's  ever  I  seen,  he  ain't 
never  drank  nothen'  but  old  Bourbon!  He  's  ben  'lected 
to  Cawngrees  over  'n*  over  on  his  wah  record,  so  I  s'pose 
he  must  er  got  one  somewheres  else  than  on  th'  field! 


H  THE    NORTHERNER 

I  ain't  never  know'd  of  him  doin'  no  fightin'  'cepten  on! 
the  stump ! " 

Chains  and  garlands  of  half-grown  girls  flashed  and 
darted  among  the  older  people,  with  a  winnowing  of  short 
skirts  and  a  soft  thudding  of  heel-less  shoes. 

As  Hallett  and  his  companion  paused  at  the  foot  of 
the  steps  to  give  way  before  a  bevy  of  girls,  in  full  flight 
before  some  unseen  pursuer,  they  came  full  upon  Watson, 
who  it  then  transpired  was  the  one  in  pursuit. 

He  abandoned  his  prey  with  a  laughing  challenge  to  a 
future  engagement,  and  turned  at  once  to  Falls,  with  a 
word  of  apology  to  Hallett  over  his  shoulder.  • 

"  Excuse  me,  Hallett ;  I  've  a  fancy  for  making  Mr. 
Falls's  acquaintance  unassisted/' 

He  offered  his  hand  to  Falls  as  he  spoke  with  a  cordial 
smile  which  vivified  his  stolid  face  into  a  winning  sweet 
ness  unexpected  and  delightful.  He  held  Falls's  hand 
in  a  strong  unyielding  grasp  as  he  spoke  again  to  Hallett 
over  his  shoulder.  "  Here  is  Joan !  "  But  Hallett,  with 
a  controlled  eagerness  not  lost  upon  Falls,  had  gone  for 
ward  to  meet  the  girl  advancing  toward  them. 

Falls's  eyes  were  caught  by  her  buoyant  grace  as  she 
crossed  the  gallery,  walking  with  a  step  longer  and  freer 
than  is  usual  with  a  Southern-born  woman ;  he  noted,  too, 
the  admirable  lack  of  consciousness  with  which  her  level 
glance  met  his,  frankly  including  him  in  her  greeting,  as 
she  bowed  with  a  serene  composure  that  she  wore  as  it 
were  a  graceful  mantle,  draping,  but  not  concealing,  the 
girlish  spontaneity  beneath. 

His  careless  glance  detected  none  of  the  languid  grace, 
the  subtile  charm,  with  which  poetic  fancy  has  clothed  the 
daughters  of  Dixie.  The  west  wind  flattening  fields  of 


AN    AMERICAN    GENTLEMAN      15 

daffodils  under  an  April  sky  is  not  more  crisply,  buoyantly 
alive  than  was  the  girl  upon  whom  his  eyes  were  resting. 
The  poise  of  her  elastic  figure,  the  resilience  of  her  motion, 
the  clear  radiance  of  her  eyes,  the  smile  of  her  soft 
flexuous  mouth  whose  contours  had  still  the  indefiniteness 
of  childhood,  spoke  an  exquisite  zest  of  life  which  woke 
an  answering  thrill  in  Falls. 

When  she  spoke  in  answer  to  Hallett's  greeting  there 
was,  to  Falls,  a  piquant  unexpectedness,  a  quaint  and 
charming  inconsistency,  it  seemed  to  him  in  those  first 
moments,  between  the  studied  finish  of  her  appearance 
and  manner,  and  her  voice.  In  every  line  of  her  gracious 
figure,  the  poise  of  her  head  upon  the  straight  throat, 
her  tip-tilted  chin  curved  like  the  petal  of  a  Nephetos 
rose,  he  read  consciousness  of  race,  breeding;  but,  in 
place  of  the  insolent  droop  of  an  eyelid,  and  a  disdainful 
lip,  which  would  have  seemed  in  character,  her  gray  eyes 
met  his  own  squarely,  full  of  a  warm,  impersonal  friend 
liness. 

"  It  is  sheer,  sheer  recklessness  in  you  to  be  here  at  all," 
she  was  saying  to  Hallett  in  the  soft  drawl  to  which 
Falls's  ear  had  grown  accustomed  in  the  past  week,  and 
in  the  most  delightful  voice  that  he  had  ever  heard,  "  and 
if  Mrs.  Eldridge-Jones  —  " 

"  I  had  rather  counted  upon  your  protection  here  to 
night,  Miss  Adair,  for  Falls  and  me  —  two  helpless 
strangers  within  your  gates! "  said  Hallett,  with  a  critical 
eye  on  Falls  as  he  made  his  bow. 

"  Oh,  stay  —  stay  by  all  manner  of  means !  If  Mrs. 
Eldridge-Jones  does  not  want  you  she  will  be  delighted 
to  tell  you  so ! "  She  turned  to  leave  them.  "  Mr. 
Falle  —  "  Falls  bent  his  head  eagerly  — "  don't  let  Mr. 


16  THE    NORTHERNER 

Hallett  impose  upon  you  about  your  accent!  You  can 
safely  talk  New  England,  if  you  like,  just  so  you  refrain 
from  incendiary  references  to  the  *  late  Rebellion ! ' " 

The  evening  was  half-sped  when  Joan,  going  lightly 
about  her  duties  as  hostess,  encountered  Falls,  who  was 
strolling  in  bored  abstraction  about  the  grounds. 

"Mr.  Hallett  charged  me,"  she  said,  pausing  in  the 
moonlight,  "  to  introduce  you  —  " 

"Of  course  he  did ! "  answered  Falls,  with  smiling 
exasperation.  "  I  have  never  known  any  one  so  deeply 
imbued  with  the  national  vice  of  introducing  people 
as  Hallett!  Platform  oratory  has  lost  a  star  in  Hal 
lett  ! " 

The  girl  laughed  lightly.  She  was  about  to  step  upon 
the  lawn  where  each  close  set  spear  of  grass  was  beaded 
•with  a  drop  of  dew  like  hoarfrost.  Falls  gently  restrained 
her. 

"Your  shoe  would  be  soaking  wet  in  a  moment.  Let 
us  keep  to  the  gravel  —  to  this  gravel,  and  see  where 
this  subterranean  passage  will  lead  us;  into  what  un 
known  lands  where  men  do  wear  their  heads  beneath  their 
shoulders  —  " 

"Ah,  but  I  have  sailed  these  seas  before!  I  know 
exactly  where  we  should  come  out  —  at  the  steps  to  the 
terraced  garden.  I  am  sorry  to  disappoint  you." 

They  had  been  strolling  slowly  along  the  dim  path 
•which  showed  a  white  streak  under  the  gloria-mundi 
hedges,  their  steps  falling  noiselessly  upon  the  sand,  and  as 
Joan  was  speaking  they  emerged  in  the  open  space  at 
the  head  of  the  steps  leading  downward  to  the  dew- 
drenched  tangle  of  the  lower  lawns.  The  tree-tops  swayed 
sleepily  in  the  crooning  wind,  a  wave  of  freshness  laden 


AN   AMERICAN    GENTLEMAN      17 

with  the  heady  odor  of  the  white-star  jasmine  rose  from 
the  cool  depths,  all  around  them  the  ceaseless  antiphonal 
of  the  katydids  beat  the  air  in  a  brazen  symphony. 

Falls  turned  to  the  stairs,  and,  standing  below  Joan,  on 
the  steps,  held  up  his  hand  to  aid  her  in  their  descent. 

"  Oh,"  she  said  a  little  hurriedly,  "  not  to-night,  I 
think,  Mr.  Falls;  some  other  time  I  will  show  you  the 
rose  garden,  with  pleasure." 

"  The  rose  garden ! "  echoed  Falls,  a  superb  disdain  in 
his  voice.  "  I  do  not  care  a  fig  for  the  rose  garden !  It  is 
the  wistaria  arbor  upon  which  I  have  set  my  heart.  I 
had  just  a  glimpse  of  it  as  we  came  up  to-night.  Those 
masses  of  pale  purple  bloom  must  be  divine  with  the 
moonlight  upon  them." 

He  stood  below  her,  bareheaded,  awaiting  calmly  the 
moment  when  she  should  see  fit  to  accept  his  uplifted  hand 
and  descend. 

"  The  wistaria  arbor !  Ei-d-i-culous !  Prep-o-sterous ! 
.  .  .  Ab-s-u-rd ! "  Joan  uttered  the  words  in  her  softest 
drawl,  and  Falls  laughed  with  sheer  delight. 

"  Those  are  unanswerable  arguments ! "  he  exclaimed 
gaily,  "but  oddly  unconvincing!  I  offer  all  this  — "  he 
waved  his  hand  to  the  night  —  "  in  rebuttal ! " 

"Why,  it  is  much,  mu-ch  farther  than  the  rose  gar 
den  ! "  Joan  swept  her  skirts  into  one  hand,  and,  stand 
ing  poised  upon  the  steps,  interrogated  the  sweet-scented 
bosky  gloom  below  with  suspicious  eyes.  "  It  is  dewy 
down  there/'  she  declared,  and  made  one  step  toward  the 
outstretched  hand,  "and  briery,"  another  step,  "and 
earwiggy ! " 

She  laid  her  rosy  palm  in  Falls's  broad  one,  which  closed 
upon  it  and  transferred  it  to  his  arm.  Her  sweet,  averted 


i8  THE    NORTHERNER 

eyes  still  lingered  upon  the  gloom  below.  Falls  laughed 
softly : 

"And  snakey,  if  I  'm  any  judge!  But  you  may  count 
on  the  last  drop  of  my  blood  being  shed  in  your  defense 
against  the  dangers  which  beset  our  path !  I  will  engage 
in  single  combat  any  earwig  which  lurks  in  this  garden; 
and  should  the  fierce  and  deadly  snail  leap  upon  us  from 
its  lair  I  have  —  I  think  I  have  —  my  trusty  envelope- 
opener  ! " 

"  You  are  almost  as  absurd  as  Hugh,"  said  Joan.  "  I 
am  not  in  the  least  afraid  of  that  sort  of  thing.  The 
reason  I  hesitated  was  because  —  " 

There  was  so  much  of  finality  in  the  pause  that  Falls 
decided  he  had  been  answered  by  a  bit  of  the  hereditary 
logic  of  her  sex,  until  she  finished  the  sentence,  suavely: 
"  —  of  malaria." 

The  arches  of  the  arbor  opened  four-square  to  the 
night,  and  the  June  moonlight  painted  with  faithful  pencil 
upon  its  tiled  floor  a  delicate  tracery  of  half-opened  leaf 
and  curling  tendril;  curtains  of  pale  purple  bloom  shut 
out  the  world;  the  summer  night  encompassed  them. 
The  south  wind,  warmed  by  the  June  sun,  magnetized  by 
the  Gulf  Stream,  fraught  with  the  perfume  of  leagues  of 
roses  and  acres  of  jasmine,  thrilling  with  the  pulse  of  this 
passionate  land,  warm  from  the  heart  of  Dixie  —  the 
south  wind  caught  them  to  its  bosom. 

It  grasped  Joan's  filmy  skirts  and  wrapped  them  in 
clinging  folds  about  Falls;  it  dashed  the  froth  of  her 
laces  on  his  bosom,  the  floating  tendrils  of  her  hair  across 
his  cheek. 

With  cunning  fingers  it  parted  the  roof  of  bloom  and 
coaxed  a  moonbeam  through  to  linger  upon  the  curve  of 


Joan's  cheek,  the  ivory  column  of  her  throat,  downward 
to  where  it  melted  into  the  soft  swell  of  her  bosom,  dimly 
visible  under  the  gauzy  folds  of  her  gown. 

Falls,  glancing  about  in  the  dusk  within,  seized  upon 
an  ancient  garden-seat  which  had  retired  from  the  garish 
light  of  day,  conscious  of  its  many  infirmities,  and  haled 
it  forth  with  triumph. 

"  Unblushing  usurper !  "  protested  Joan,  from  the  steps, 
and  watching  Falls  with  laughing  eyes,  as  he  propped  the 
ancient  seat  for  Her  reception. 

"  By  what  right  do  you  lay  claim  to  my  hereditary  goods 
and  chattels  ?  "  she  demanded. 

"  I  have  some  hereditary  rights  myself,"  said  Falls, 
groping  in  the  gloom  for  bricks;  "the  right  of  might  is 
the  one  I  am  exercising  just  now." 

"  What  would  my  great-grandfather  Adair  say  if  he 
could  hear  you !  He  put  that  bench  there  —  " 

"  If  what  I  have  heard  of  him  is  at  all  authentic  he 
would  say  it  was  ca  damned  poor  specimen  of  a  bench, 
sur ! ' "  said  Falls  calmly,  and  striking  the  key-note  of  the 
old  Admiral's  habitual  profanity  so  neatly,  that  Joan  had 
a  sharp  struggle  to  preserve  her  gravity  and  with  it  her 
sense  of  loyalty  to  the  old  life  of  which  this  crumbling 
remnant  was  a  fragment. 

"  It  was  quite  a  handsome  bench  in  its  day,"  she  pro 
tested  staunchly,  "  it  was  —  er  —  quite  unique !  " 

"  Ah,  so  it  must  have  been ! "  murmured  Falls  with 
gentle  sarcasm,  "fine  old  Southern  stock,  sur  —  neither 
back  nor  legs !  " 

"It  had  a  back  and  legs  —  but  the  Yankee  soldiers 
during  the  wah  —  "a  dead  pause ;  even  in  the  moon 
light  Falls  could  see  the  blush. 


20  THE  NORTHERNER' 

"  Come  in,  —  Aurora !  "  he  called  to  her ;  "  I  think  I 
have  persuaded  the  last  of  your  ancestral  earwigs  that  he 
has  an  engagement  elsewhere,  and  he  has  hurried  off 
like  a  veritable  Southern  gentleman,  an  hour  late,  to 
keep  it!" 

Joan's  eyes  as  she  came  in  were  a  trifle  speculative,  and 
warm  with  hidden  laughter. 

"You  look  like  a  convolvulus  after  the  sun  has  kissed 
it,  with  your  petals  all  folded  up  like  that/'  Falls  told  her, 
as  she  came  daintily  in  still  holding  her  skirts  tightly 
sheathed  about  her. 

"  I  'm  a  moon-flower,"  she  cried  gaily,  "  and  it 's  time  to 
open ! "  Releasing  her  soft,  frilled  skirts  with  a  gay 
whirl,  she  sank  upon  the  old  bench,  which  groaned  its 
protest. 

"  Gently,  gently,"  Falls  admonished  her,  as  he  steadied 
the  rickety  seat,  "  you  're  worse  than  the  Federal  troops ! 
You  '11  lay  low  this  monument  which  my  alien  hand  has 
just  erected  in  honor  of  —  Dixie ! "  They  sat  facing  the 
long  dip  of  valley  land  which  lay  wrapped  in  its  robe  of 
blue-gray  shadows,  almost  at  their  feet.  Across  the  valley 
to  the  north  the  mountains  lay,  like  crouching  beasts. 

"Tell  me,"  he  said  softly  to  the  girl  beside  him,  his 
eyes  still  on  the  horizon  guarded  by  those  dim,  watching 
forms,  "  what  is  this  Dixie  ?  I  asked  Hallett,  but  I  could 
get  nothing  from  him  but  maundering!  He  quoted 
Eudyard  Kipling,  he  raved  of  the  noble  dead,  and  of 
noble  dividends  in  a  breath,  he  —  I  'm  not  sure  but  he 
wept ! " 

"  Over  the  dividends !  But  —  Is  this  authentic  ?  Mr. 
Hallett  and  —  sentiment?  I  thought  Mr.  Hallett  was 
of  the  New  South ;  I  did  not  know  he  knew  Dixie !  " 


AN    AMERICAN    GENTLEMAN      21 

"  No  more  he  does !  That  much  I  gathered  from  his 
wanderings ;  he  opines  that  no  one  does ;  he  confessed  that 
he  could  not  interpret  for  me;  that  he  could  not,  even 
yet,  speak  the  mother  tongue.  He  only  - —  ah,  feels  it !  " 

"  Mr.  Hallett ! "  so  much  of  keen  incredulity  spoke  in 
the  girl's  tone,  that  Falls  laughed  softly  in  the  gloom. 

"  Is  not  Hallett  a  man  like  any  other  ?  Do  you  deny 
him  any  human  susceptibility  ?  " 

"  No,"  she  said  serenely ;  "  I  accord  him  the  most 
human!  A  very  human  and  a  very  keen  susceptibility  — 
as  to  what  he  can  make  out  of  Dixie." 

"  You  hit  hard !  "  said  Falls  under  his  breath.  "  But  — 
But  you  said  'her'^  do  you,  then,  think  of  Dixie  as  a 
woman  ?  " 

"Do  not  you?" 

"  I  ?  I  do  not  know  what  to  think !  I  am  not  yet  even 
of  the  New  South.  I  am  of  Wall  Street.  You  are  her 
daughter,  are  you  not?  You  were  cradled  upon  Dixie's 
bosom;  you  speak  the  mother  language.  Will  you  not  be 
my  interpreter  ?  " 

"How  can  I  ptit  into  language  that  which  has  neither 
speech  nor  language  of  its  own  ?  I  could  not  define  Dixie 
any  more  than  I  could  explain  nostalgia!  I  could  not 
even  tell  you,  as  Mr.  Hallett  did,  that  it  extends  from  the 
Ohio  River  to  the  Gulf  —  for  it  does  not!  There  are 
great  tracts  within  that  area  which  are  just  simply  — 
Florida  and  Texas  —  Georgia  —  not  Dixie  at  all !  Dixie 
is  a  feeling,  you  know  —  a  —  belief,  a  sentiment.  Like  the 
German  Vaterland.  And  where  those  currents  of  feeling 
set  strongest  and  swiftest,  in  the  Sargasso  seas  of  feeling, 
as  it  were,  there  —  there  is  Dixie!  This,"  she  flung  her 
hand  out  to  the  dim  land  about  her,  to  the  white  stars 


22  THE    NORTHERNER 

overhead,  to  the  perfumed  air,  "  this,  is  the  very  heart 
of  Dixie ! " 

"  Is  it  all  as  fair  as  this  ?  "  asked  Falls,  his  slow  pulses 
thrilling  under  the  charm  of  her  voice,  his  eyes  upon 
her  rapt  face. 

"  N-o,"  said  she  slowly  and  a  little  coldly ;  "  Sargasso 
seas  —  or  so  they  told  me  at  school  —  harbor  all  sorts  of 
flotsam  and  jetsam  of  the  oceans;  whirlpools  of  feeling 
obey  the  same  laws !  But  we  must  be  going  up,  must  we 
not  ?  We  want  to  hear  Hugh  speak !  " 

"  Aye,"  said  Falls  heartily,  "  we  do !  "  And  mentally 
he  added  just  as  heartily,  "  Confound  Watson !  " 

"  Joan,"  said  Hugh,  leaning  across  Falls  to  speak  under 
cover  of  the  jubilant  strains  of  "  Dixie,"  as  the  evening 
drew  to  its  close,  "  what  is  this  I  hear  about  a  dance  ? 
There  are  a  lot  of  fellows  over  there  on  the  end  of  the 
colonnade,  who  never  walked  out  here  to  sing  '  Dixie '  I 
It  took  more  than  patriotism  to  pull  Hale  up  that  hill; 
and  Jemmy  's  got  his  glad  rags  on!  They  've  come 
to  dance ;  that  's  patent.  What  did  you  say,  Joan  — 

*  Father '  ?  .  .  .  Joan,  my  child,  try  not  thy  futile  arts 
of  dissimulation  upon  me,  exercise  your  infant  wiles  upon 
Falls's  innocence!     Don't  I  know  that  the  first  strain  of 

*  Dixie '  sends  Uncle  John  up-stairs  ?     He  goes  up  there 
and  hugs  his  old  sword  and  cusses,"  he  added  in  an  ex 
planatory  aside  to  Falls. 

"  Hugh !  What  will  Mr.  Falls  think !  Father  ne-ver ! 
Yes,  Challie,  I  see  him ;  kt  's  go  across." 

Judge  Adair  gave  Falls  his  hand  with  courteous  ease 
which  recalled  his  daughter's  manner,  accompanied  by  a 
glance  which  classified,  appraised,  and  dismissed  him  in 


23 

a  breath.  Falls  had  met  many  of  the  men  present,  and  the 
greeting  of  the  rest  was  for  the  most  part  a  replica  of  Judge 
Adair's  manner  —  perhaps  a  trifle  colder  —  and  with 
more  hostile  scrutiny. 

In  the  group  about  the  hall  door,  talk  of  the  dance  went 
on  with  liveliest  interest. 

"  It  is  debatable  ground,  boys/'  said  Judge  Adair,  "  dis 
tinctly  debatable  ground.  We  have  met  here  to  render 
a  tribute  to  the  Confederate  dead  — " 

"  Well  — "  said  Jemmy  Page,  driven  to  a  desperate 
expedient  in  the  way  of  argument,  "if  they  're  half  the 
men  I  've  been  led  to  believe  all  my  life,  they  'd  be  the  last 
sort  to  want  to  cut  us  out  of  any  fun !  " 

"  Eeally,  Uncle  John,"  said  Hugh,  "  I  see  no  impropriety 
in  the  occasion  —  and  the  occasion  is  over,  besides !  " 

Judge  Adair  visibly  wavered.  "  I  do  not  sanction  it, 
you  know  —  I  —  er  —  only  allow  it ;  and,  Hugh,  you 
will  explain  to  the  ladies  of  the  Confederacy  ?  " 

Hugh  fixed  the  older  man  with  a  glance  of  keen  amuse 
ment.  "  The  chicken-heartedness  of  the  Confederate 
veteran  under  fire  surprises  me!  The  49th  Alabama 
would  not  own  you  to  see  you  quail  before  Mrs.  Jones! 
But  thank  God,  there  's  life  in  the  old  land  yet!  I  '11 
engage  her  —  I  '11  dance  with  her,  bloody  shirt  and  all! 
You  may  go  to  bed,  Uncle  John,  I  '11  look  after  things." 

"  Challie,"  said  the  old  man,  and  beckoned  Hugh  aside, 
"  who  is  this  new  man  —  this  Falls  —  whom  Joan  is  lead 
ing  about  like  a  lamb  on  a  ribbon  ?  " 

Watson's  smile  broadened.  "  Of  all  the  inapposite  — 
If  you  had  said  a  unicorn!  I  think  Falls  is  the  moat 
nnlamblike  individual  I  have  ever  met!  Hallett  brought 
him  here." 


24  THE    NORTHERNER 

"Hallett?" 

"  It  is  all  right,  I  think,  Uncle  John;  Joan  met  Hallett 
with  Falls  down-town  and  invited  them  —  or  rather  let 
Hallett  invite  himself  —  to  come  out.  I  'm  rather  taken 
with  Falls  —  he  does  not  impress  me  as  being  of  the  type 
of  our  usual  Northern  contingent.  Hallett  tells  me  he  has 
bought  the  old  Power  and  Passenger  Company  —  means 
to  run  it  himself.  I  always  did  like  a  man  with  gall! 
.  .  .  What  do  you  think?" 

"  I  think  a  fool  and  his  money  are  soon  parted.  Good 
night,  Challie." 


II 

A    WOMAN    AND    A    WALTZ 

"  "\TTE  dance  up-stairs,  Mr.  Falls/'  said  Joan,  sending 

T  V  Falls  a  smile  from  the  landing  as  she  went  about 
her  duties  of  hostess,  collecting  the  scattered  guests  and 
marshaling  them  up-stairs. 

"  Jemmy/'  —  she  waved  her  escort  gaily  toward  Falls, 
—  "I  think  I  can  find  my  way  about  the  house  by  this 
time!  Won't  you  show  Mr.  Falls  the  way?" 

"  I  perceive  that  you  are  on  detail  duty,  Mr.  Page/' 
said  Falls,  smiling  gravely  upon  the  lad,  "but  do  not  let 
me  spoil  the  evening  for  you.  I  was  just  admiring  this  fine 
old  hall!" 

"  Is  n't  it  fine  ?  I  believe  Hillcrest  is  considered  the  best 
of  the  ante-bellum  houses  left  us,  now.  Egypt  —  that  's 
our  place  just  out  of  town  —  used  to  be  this  sort;  but 
father  —  father  is  rather  progressive  —  had  it  torn  down 
and  a  decent  house  put  up,  with  steam  heat,  where  one 
can  be  comfortable,  you  know  —  " 

"  Is  n't  it  a  good  deal  of  a  pity,  though  ?  "  asked  Falls 
idly. 

"  No,"  said  the  boy,  sturdily,  "  the  quicker  we  get  rid  of 
the  old  regime  the  better  it  will  be  for  us !  '  Forward, 
forward,  let  us  range ! ' " 

25 


26  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  I  see  you  are  of  the  New  South !  " 

"  Indeed  I  am !  I  do  not  hold  with  the  Bourbon  creed 
that  never  learns  and  never  forgets!  Do  you  care  to 
dance,  Mr.  Falls?  I  will  introduce  you  to  any  of  the 
girls  —  You  have  met  Betty  —  but  Hugh  would  not  stand 
that!  There  *s  Miss  Comer  —  she  's  a  new  girl  —  the 
very  topmost  straw  on  the  swim  in  New  Orleans ! " 

"  They  are  all  new  to  me,"  said  Falls,  laughing ;  "  later, 
Mr.  Page,  if  you  will  be  so  kind?"  And  his  detail  de 
parted  to  seek  his  own  young  pleasure. 

The  ballroom  was  in  the  third  story,  its  windows  opening 
to  the  floor  upon  a  wide,  deck-like  gallery,  with  a  sky 
light  flung  open  to  the  starlit  reaches  of  the  summer  night. 
It  was  bare  of  furniture  except  for  a  row  of  dark  por 
traits  which  paneled  the  wall-spaces  between  the  windows, 
and  a  huge  chandelier  from  whose  many  branches  hung 
tinkling,  ice-like  prisms.  The  floor  was  of  polished  wood, 
ideal  for  dancing,  and  was  comfortably  filled  with 
dancers  when  Falls  and  young  Page  entered. 

Falls  watched  the  scene  from  the  gallery,  bored,  but 
lingering  he  knew  not  why.  Watson  passed  him  in 
animated  talk  with  a  woman  on  his  arm  whom  Falls 
instantly  decided  must  be  Mrs.  Eldridge-Jones.  He 
looked  at  her  critically,  striving  to  analyze  the  feeling 
of  dislike  and  antagonism  which  had  taken  instant  pos 
session  of  his  mind  as  his  eyes  rested  upon  her. 

She  was  a  tall  woman,  almost  as  tall  as  Hugh  himself, 
and  of  imposing  presence.  She  was  clad  to-night  in  sweep 
ing  robes  of  some  airy  black  which  swam  about  her  as 
she  moved,  and  from  her  bosom  came  a  flash-light  of 
jewels,  a  great  cross  of  diamonds,  suspended  just  below 
a  loose  and  pendent  fold  of  flesh  which  depended  from 


A    WOMAN    AND    A   WALTZ       27 

her  wrinkled  throat;  her  abundant  white  hair  was  turned 
back  in  a  full  roll  from  her  bold,  angular  face  —  a  face 
whose  shrewd  capableness  was  weakened  and  marred  by 
an  expression  of  egotism,  bred  in  her,  doubtless,  by  the 
narrow  life  of  a  local  celebrity;  arrogance,  an  over 
weening  personal  conceit,  spoke  in  her  manner,  which 
sought,  under  the  elaborate  mannerisms  of  a  bygone 
generation,  to  conceal  a  conscious  insolence  of  caste.  She 
walked  beside  Hugh  with  teetering  footsteps  and  airy 
graces,  her  bold  eyes,  under  languishing  lids,  sweeping 
the  room  keenly,  with  the  glance  of  a  general  upon  the 
battle-field. 

Joan  was  waltzing  with  a  veteran  whose  white  head 
towered  above  that  of  every  other  man  in  the  room  except 
Falls.  Gay  groups  passed  and  repassed  him  upon  the  gal 
lery,  while  from  within  came  the  wailing  of  the  violins,  the 
soft  hiss  of  gliding  feet  upon  the  polished  floor,  the  flut 
ter  of  light  gowns,  soft  laughter,  the  sweet  familiar  give 
and  take  of  people  who  met  at  ease  in  genial  intercourse. 

"  I  seem  to  have  strayed  into  some  family  reunion," 
thought  Falls.  "  One  turn  —  I  '11  go  after  I  've  had  it." 

Joan  was  beaming  a  farewell  smile  upon  her  veteran 
when  Falls  bent  his  tall  head  beside  her. 

"  Will  you  risk  a  partner  who  has  not  waltzed  for  ten 
years,  Miss  Adair?" 

She  rose  at  once,  and  they  paused  to  catch  the  time. 

"I  never  refuse  your  sort  of  maa  as  a  partner/'  she 
told  him. 

Falls  swept  her  out  upon  the  current  of  the  music  with 
a  strong  glide,  and  Joan  caught  her  breath  with  sheer 
delight  in  the  cadenced  motion.  They  had  almost  com 
pleted  the  circuit  of  the  room  before  Falls  spoke. 


28  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  What  sort  of  man  is  my  sort  ?  " 

"  Strong,  you  know  —  and  all  that !  " 

"  Oh !  "  smiled  Falls,  "  that !  Any  navvy  can  have 
muscle ! "  he  murmured,  ungratefully,  after  a  minute. 
Glancing  down  he  could  see  one  rosy  ear,  the  curve  of  a 
delicate  cheek  and  a  length  of  dreaming  lashes;  but  it 
is  doubtful  if  he  was  conscious  of  a  single  detail  of  her 
loveliness.  Like  a  strong  swimmer  upon  a  sun-warmed  sea, 
Falls  was  letting  himself  drift,  deliberately  —  letting  the 
current  of  the  moment  sweep  him  on ;  he  would  turn  back 
soon,  to  the  workaday  world.  He  felt  the  buoyant  soft 
ness  of  Joan's  form  within  his  arm,  saw  the  billows  of 
her  skirts  about  his  feet  with  a  reflex  consciousness  only. 

Joan,  with  a  momentary  congratulation  that  her  partner 
did  not  care  to  talk,  abandoned  herself  to  the  pleasure  of 
the  waltz.  The  floor  was  perfect ;  the  air,  cooling  toward 
midnight,  swept  downward  from  the  mountain-tops  in 
great  sighing  breaths;  she  could  feel  the  smooth  play  of 
Falls's  muscles  supporting  her,  and  close  to  her  was  the 
black  shoulder  of  his  coat. 

Lulled  by  the  motion  she  abandoned  herself  dreamily 
to  a  childish  memory  which  had  assailed  her  after  the 
first  of  Falls's  long,  smooth  glides. 

"  This  is  the  North  Wind's  hair,  black  and  drooping, 
which  is  about  me,"  she  thought  dreamily ;  "  this  is  his 
strong  arm  holding  me;  we  are  far  out  upon  the  dark 
blue  billows  of  the  air ! "  She  knew  that  Falls's  eyes 
were  just  above  her,  that  if  she  lifted  her  own  she  would 
look  straight  into  the  black  depths  of  his,  and  she  wished 
that  she  might  do  so. 

She  longed  to  break  through  that  strong  quiet  of  his; 
to  know  what  lay  behind  his  grave,  restrained  glance.  Was 


A    WOMAN    AND    A    WALTZ       29 

it  indifference?  The  thought  but  skimmed  the  surface 
of  her  mind,  dipping  downward,  as  a  swallow  might,  to 
touch  a  memory  here  and  there.  No,  it  was  not  indif 
ference,  A  curtain  dropped  between  the  man's  proud, 
reserved  soul  and  the  world?  It  might  be.  Fatima-like, 
Joan  longed  to  lift  its  edge !  "  Suppose,"  she  dallied  with 
her  girlish  fancy,  "  suppose  I  tilted  back  my  head  and 
looked  at  him  and  said,  like  this :  *  Dear  North  Wind,  I  am 
frightened;  the  roofs  of  the  great  city  are  so  far  below 
us ! '  What  would  happen,  I  wonder  ?  " 

On  the  cheek  beneath  Falls's  abstracted  eyes  a  dimple 
glanced,  and  vanished. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  he  said  instantly.    "  What  amuses  you  ?  " 

She  started,  and  the  smile  flashed  fully  out. 

"  Nothing  —  you  would  not  find  it  amusing !  " 

"  I  'm  not  nearly  so  dull  as  I  look !  If  it  is  not  very 
metaphysical  I  could  make  a  stagger  at  it!  I  understood 
the  dimple  quite  well !  " 

"  Some  day  —  "  she  lightly  evaded  him. 

" '  Many  things  by  season,  seasoned  are/  "  he  reminded 
her. 

He  had  an  instant's  glimpse  of  eyes  which  laughed. 

"  The  present  would  add  rather  too  much  pungency," 
she  said  frankly. 

"  When,  then  ?  " 

"  In  a  year  and  a  day  —  " 

"  Is  n't  that  rather  a  Delphic  promise  ?  " 

"  Perhaps." 

"  Where  did  Joan  get  this  man,  Hugh  ? "  asked  Mrs. 
Eldridge-Jones,  indicating  with  a  skilled  turn  of  her  eye 
Falls's  tall  figure  waltzing  within,  his  grave  face  as  still 


30  THE    NORTHERNER 

as  though  cast  in  bronze,  with  steady  eyes  upon  his  part 
ner's  charming  profile. 

"  I  think  Joan  had  him  made  in  New  York  —  to  go 
with  her  Redfern  gown  that  Uncle  John  gave  her  on  her 
birthday  the  other  week ! "  replied  Hugh,  his  tone  of  care 
ful  precision  implying  that,  while  his  information  might 
be  a  trifle  inaccurate,  it  was,  for  all  practical  purposes, 
reliable. 

"  Ah  — "  she  said  with  acrid  complacency,  "  I  had 
decided  that  he  was  a  New  Yorker,  he  is  coarse-grained  — 
as  all  New  Yorkers  are!  Who  is  he  —  to  whom  did  he 
bring  letters  here,  that  he  is  received  at  Hillcrest  ?  " 

Watson  turned  an  eye  of  speculative  amusement  upon 
her,  from  the  security  of  the  dark  gallery.  "  His  name  is 
Falls;  that  is,  I  think,  all  that  can  be  predicated  of  him 
thus  far;  except  that  he  has  bought  the  old  Power  and 
Passenger  plant  —  " 

Her  great  fan  of  dusky  feathers  hung  suspended,  as 
she  turned  toward  Watson  in  the  semigloom  of  the  gallery, 
the  diamond  cross  upon  her  bosom  shaking  out  a  dazzle  of 
indignant,  scintillant  sparks  to  match  the  angry  sparkle 
of  her  eyes. 

"  An  electric  light  man !  Waltzing  here  —  with  Jack 
Adair^s  daughter  ?  What  —  what  are  we  coming  to !  " 

There  was  real  feeling  in  her  tones;  a  passion  of  regret 
shook  them  into  sincerity  as  she  went  on : 

"Of  what  use  for  the  few  of  us  to  struggle  to  main 
tain  the  old  customs,  the  old  order  of  things?  I  have  set 
my  face  from  the  first  against  this  new  system  of  things, 
but  what  use?  If  John  Adair —  !  I  told  Colonel  Jones 
only  the  other  day  when  he  asked  me  again  to  invite  this 
Mr.  Hallett  to  dine  —  " 


A    WOMAN    AND    A   WALTZ       31 

"  Why,  the  Colonel  and  Hallett  are  as  chummy  as  pos 
sible/'  began  Hugh. 

"  Ah,  that  is  another  matter !  That  is  business ;  men 
meet  each  other  on  a  different  plane  in  business.  Why, 
even  befo'  the  wah  men  were  associated  in  business  with 
others  of  quite  a  different  stamp.  Our  overseers  when  they 
came  up  on  business  were  always  kindly  treated.  But 
this  'new  element/  as  it  calls  itself!  Never,  as  I  told 
Colonel  Jones,  never  will  my  doors  open  to  one  of  them ! " 

11  Are  we  never  to  grow  any,  Mrs.  Jones  ?  Never  learn 
to  forget?" 

"  Never ! "  she  made  firm  answer,  her  handsome,  vin 
dictive  old  face  rigid  with  anger.  "  My  growing  days 
are  over,  Hugh,  and  I  learned  more  than  I  shall  ever 
forget  in  those  four  years!  Remember,  boy,  what  I  lost 
before  you  talk  to  me  of  forgetting:  my  husband  —  a 
Senator  of  his  State  —  my  lovely  sons,  my  magnificent 
plantations  —  my  negroes,  even  my  jewels !  "  Her  hard 
tones  trembled  into  tenderness,  and  Watson  smiled  again, 
thankful  for  the  darkness  which  hid  his  amusement  at  her 
anticlimax. 

In  the  silence  which  lasted  a  moment,  they  saw  Falls 
bend  to  speak  to  his  partner,  saw  the  smile,  the  glance, 
with  which  she  answered  him. 

"  The  question  with  me  is,  Hugh/'  she  resumed  with  a 
slow  significance,  her  eyes  still  bitterly  following  Falls's 
handsome  figure,  "the  question  with  me  is  how  does  the 
admission  of  these  people  constitute  growth?  To  me  it 
seems  dissolution  —  disintegration!  We  do  not  really 
assimilate  them ;  and  the  result  is  conflict  —  friction : 
where  if  we  merely  decline  to  admit  them  —  go  our  way 
—  let  them  go  theirs !  " 


32 

"  Yes/'  said  Watson  slowly ;  "  it  does  mean  disinte 
gration;  and  it  is  disintegration  that  we  want!  The  old 
South,  the  Sonth  that  you  knew  and  loved,  is  dead,  Mrs. 
Jones!  We  cannot  reanimate  dry  bones;  disintegration 
precedes  growth  always.  '  The  grain  is  not  quickened, 
except  it  die/  And  why  should  Falls  be  difficult  of 
assimilation  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  Yankee  —  " 

Watson  turned  his  brilliant  glance  upon  her,  full  of 
ironical  chiding.  "  Tut !  "  said  he  in  a  tone  which  made 
of  the  word  a  caress.  "  Tut,  Mrs.  Jones,  bury  your  old 
squirrel  gun !  '  Weep  no  more,  my  lady,  weep  no  more ! ' 
Accept  the  inevitable  with  the  courage  with  which  you 
accepted  the  war.  Betaliate  upon  the  past  by  the  con 
quest  of  the  future.  We  are  coming  out  ahead  in  this 
new  war  of  capital !  And  about  Falls  —  I  'm  going  to 
introduce  him ;  he  has  n't  any  women !  "  he  added  with 
a  smile. 

"  That  is  certainly  in  his  favor ;  the  men  are  bad 
enough,  but  the  women !  .  .  .  No,  no,  Hugh,  no  introduc 
tions  for  me ! " 

"That  hint  is  not  quite  pointed  enough,  Betty,"  said 
Hugh,  as  Betty  stepped  inside  her  own  gate  and  clicked 
it  together  after  her,  "  I  'm  coming  in !  " 

"  It  is  very  late,  Hugh ;  had  you  better  ?  " 

"  It  is  for  you  to  say  whether  I  had  better !  But,  I 
think  it  only  fair  to  warn  you,  in  the  event  I  do  not  I 
shall  kiss  you  out  here ! " 

"  Hugh,  the  hill  is  full  of  people !  " 

She  swung  the  gate  open  and  stepped  aside,  but  Wat 
son  did  not  move. 


A   WOMAN    AND    A   WALTZ       33 

"You  will  have  to  invite  me,  now;  I  am  offended. 
You  have  wantonly  injured  my  tenderest  — " 

"  Challie !  "  in  agonized  remonstrance,  "  Mrs.  Eldridge- 
Jones  and  the  Colonel  are  coming  down  the  hill !  " 

"  Good  night,  Mrs.  Jones,"  said  Watson,  urbanely, 
ignoring  her  piercing  glance  at  Betty's  shrinking  figure 
endeavoring  to  conceal  itself  behind  the  slender  iron  post 
of  the  gate.  "  Howdy,  Colonel  .  .  .  Well,  Miss  Archer, 
since  you  insist  — "  this  in  the  bored  tone  of  a  guest 
being  detained  against  his  will,  with  laughing  eyes  of  cruel 
fun  upon  the  girl,  "  why  —  er  —  I  will  come  in  a  moment 
to  see  the  night-blooming  cereus  —  "  He  followed  Betty 
to  the  quaint  hooded  porch  draped  with  Banksia  roses  into 
whose  depths  she  had  vanished.  Watson  made  one  or 
two  cautious,  stumbling,  near-sighted  steps  into  the  gloom 
and  found  himself  in  Betty's  hostile  grasp. 

"  My  darling,  this  is  assault  and  battery ! " 

"  Oh,  Challie ! "  cried  the  girl,  pounding  him  viciously 
with  soft  fists,  "  why  on  earth  did  you  ever  think  of  saying 
that  idiotic  thing  where  she  could  hear  you?  Did  I 
ever,  ever  ( insist '  —  in  my  life,  on  a  man's  coming  in  ?  " 

"  Betty  darling,  don't  be  tragic !  " 

He  drew  her  softly  to  him,  and  in  his  strong  embrace 
she  grew  happy  again  and  was  so  quiet  that  he  fancied 
she  had  forgotten  the  little  rift,  until  she  raised  her  head 
at  last  with  a  happy,  exasperated  sigh. 

"  But  you  know,  Hughie,  you  are  simply,  simply  un 
speakable  ! " 

"  I  'm  glad  I  am  —  with  you ;  you  are  just  the  one 
person  on  earth  with  whom  I  prefer  to  be  inarticulate. 
I  think  the  sign  language  is  far  nicer  between  us,  don't 
you  ?  "  He  laid  his  cheek  against  hers  and  gathered  her 


34  THE    NORTHERNER 

closer  into  his  arms,  until  he  felt  the  hurried  beating  of  her 
heart  upon  his  own,  and  was  silent.  So  silent  that  the 
interested  audience  of  earwigs  and  granddaddies  and  hairy 
worms  that  lived  in  Betty's  porch,  and  knew  to  a  shade 
the  exact  standing  of  each  of  Betty's  suitors,  retired 
disappointed  to  humdrum  domesticity  in  their  cracks  and 
crannies,  and  to  unromantic  slumbers. 

"  Challie,  do  you  really,  really  love  me  ? "  murmured 
Betty,  the  old  doubt,  the  old  question,  old  as  love,  old  as 
life,  in  her  voice. 

Watson,  disdaining  speech,  preferring  the  sign  language, 
found  her  mouth  in  the  darkness  and  softly  closed  it 
with  his  own. 

"  Best,  I  mean  —  and  only  ?  " 

"  Best,  and  only,  Betty !  " 

"  Did  you  never  —  never  even  fancy  ?  " 

"  Never ! " 

The  girl  nestled  closer,  with  a  happy,  contented  sigh. 
But  Watson  sat  as  though  carved  in  stone,  his  cheek 
against  Betty's  soft  love-locks,  his  wide  eyes,  blankly  upon 
the  moonlit  spaces  of  the  garden,  filled  with  a  memory  as 
bitter  as  a  curse. 

"  You  know,  Hugh,"  Betty  went  on  after  a  moment 
of  this  silence,  "  I  always  thought  it  silly  for  a  woman 
to  try  to  claim  her  lover's  past,  and  —  and  I  do  not! 
But  I  was  just  thinking,  how  lucky  I  am !  We  've  known 
each  other  all  our  lives;  and  if  there  had  ever  been  — 
I  'd  be  certain  to  have  heard  about  it,  would  n't  I,  Challie  ? 
Why,  I  can  remember  back,  when  you  first  came  home 
from  college  and  lived  at  Judge  Adair's  —  when  your 
Aunt  Felicia  was  living  —  I  was  only  a  little  girl,  then, 
never  d-r-e-a-ming  that  you  would  ever  —  ever !  .  .  .  Did 


A    WOMAN    AND    A   WALTZ       35 

you  love  me  in  those  days  ?  Yes  ?  How  delightful !  How 
dear  of  you!  And  when  I  consider  —  " 

"  Your  own  string  of  scalps ! "  put  in  Hugh  gravely, 
rousing  himself.  "  Let  's  leave  the  past  alone,  Betty,  shall 
we?  We  have  the  present,  and  the  future,  please  God! 
Who  burns  a  light,  so  late?"  he  went  on  to  turn  her 
from  the  subject. 

"  Rose,"  she  answered  carelessly ;  "  she  will  wait  up  for 
me.  She  is  my  maid  now." 

"Kose?     What  Rose?     I  don't  remember  —  " 

"  Rosebud,  you  know.  But  papa  thought  it  improper 
for  a  servant  to  be  called  Rosebud;  and  I  think  it  is 
just  as  well,"  finished  Betty  with  a  pretty  primness. 

"  Is  Rosebud  here  ? "  asked  Hugh.  Rising,  he  put 
Betty's  hands  away  from  his  neck  and  stepped  beyond 
the  porch  as  though  to  gain  a  moment's  breathing  space 
from  something  which  oppressed  him. 

"Yes,"  said  Betty,  "she  wanted  to  come,  and  father 
let  me  have  her.  She  makes  a  splendid  servant —  I'm 
going  to  say  good  night  now,  Hughie"  .  .  . 


Ill 

THE  DARK   THREAD   IN   THE   WOOF 

rose-gallery  at  Hillcrest  was  Joan's  special  pet 
JL  and  pride  and  the  favorite  resort  for  family  and 
guests  during  the  hot  months  of  summer,  which  Joan 
and  her  father  were  spending  this  year  in  town,  with 
brief  visits  to  Judge  Adair's  mountain  house  in  the  heart 
of  the  blue-green  mountains  that  overlooked  the  valley 
behind  Hillcrest. 

On  a  morning  late  in  August,  Joan  lay  in  her  rose- 
red  hammock  behind  the  curtain  of  vines,  tapestried  with 
ten  thousand  roses,  through  which  the  light  filtered  in 
a  dim  green  shade,  admiring  her  own  slim  feet,  very 
much  in  evidence,  several  inches  higher  than  the  golden 
crown  which  was  slipping  down  her  shoulders. 

Joan  cast  a  handful  of  rose  and  gold  and  scarlet  petals 
to  a  baby  wind  to  make  fairy  boats  of,  and  watched  them 
careen  across  the  polished  floor  of  the  gallery,  but  her 
thoughts  were  all  of  wedding-clothes,  and  her  talk,  not 
of  the  sunsets  which  trailed  their  gorgeous  banners  be 
hind  the  purple  peaks,  but  of  hemstitching,  of  herring- 
boning,  of  hand-made  lingerie,  couched  in  terms  of  edgings 
and  insertions,  and  of  mystic  numbers  which  made  "  sets  " 
of  such  and  such. 

36 


THE    DARK   THREAD  37 

For  Betty's  wedding-clothes  were  in  progress,  and  Betty 
herself  was  present,  emerging  like  another,  and  more 
domestic,  Aphrodite  from  a  pile  of  fluffy  stuff  which 
trailed  upon  the  gallery  floor,  and  which  Betty's  slim 
fingers  crimped  and  pinched  and  tugged  at  most  un 
kindly.  Within  the  cavern  of  the  black  hall,  Joan's  prime 
minister,  Milly  Ann,  presided  at  a  sewing-machine,  from 
which  she  evoked  long  writhing  strips  of  the  same  fluffy 
stuff,  and  which  presently  Betty  would  take  in  hand. 

Farther  within  the  cavern  stood  the  girl  Rosebud,  now 
primly  pruned  to  "  Rose,"  who  cut,  with  shining  shears 
and  a  skilled  hand,  length  after  length  of  the  same 
diaphanous  white  which  clung,  writhing  and  fluttering, 
to  the  shears  as  though  in  pain,  or  in  anticipation  of  the 
time  when  it,  too,  must  pass  beneath  that  keen  needle 
under  Betty's  caressing  fingers. 

And  all  of  this  —  that  Betty  might  tread  that  straight 
and  narrow  pass  which  leads  from  maidenhood  to  wife- 
hood,  fortified  with  the  strength  which  comes  to  a  bride 
only  with  the  knowledge  of  hand-made  lingerie! 

The  houses  of  Adair  and  Archer  had  allied  themselves 
until  such  time  as  Betty  might  deem  herself  sufficiently 
equipped  to  progress  to  the  end  of  the  block  in  which  she 
had  spent  her  life,  and  begin  life  anew  among  the  same 
people  whom  she  had  regularly  subjugated  each  season, 
since  she  had  been  out  of  short  frocks,  with  one-fourth 
the  costumes  which  now  seemed  necessary  to  carry  on 
her  conquests  as  Mrs.  Hugh  Chalmers  Watson. 

"  Rosebud  —  er  —  I  mean  Rose,"  said  Joan  kindly,  to 
the  girl  who  had  come  out  to  speak  to  Betty,  "  don't  you 
think  you  had  better  give  up  this  idea  of  going  off  to 
college,  and  stop  here  and  be  Miss  Betty's  housemaid  after 


38  THE    NORTHERNER 

she  is  married?  And  then  the  wedding,  you  '11  miss  it 
all!  And  what  's  the  use  of  being  educated?  You  are 
much  nicer  as  you  are.  I  can't  st-a-nd  those  educated 
darkies,  with  note-books  in  their  hands  and  eye-glasses! 
They  b-o-re  me  to  death ! " 

"  Yes,"  placidly  joined  in  Betty  —  "  Put  it  over  my 
shoulder,  Rosie;  is  it  long  enough?  Yes,  I  have  been 
talking  to  Eose  about  this  foolish  idea;  it  is  simply 
silly!  She  can  read  and  write,  can't  you,  Rosie?  And 
that  is  enough !  " 

"  M-o-re  than  enough,"  chimed  in  Joan  heartily ;  "  I 
would  not  have  an  educated  nigger  —  "  She  caught  the 
flush  which  rose  to  the  girl's  clear,  golden  cheek,  and 
added  in  eager  deprecation  of  her  careless  speech,  "  Xot 
that  Rose  could  ever  be  like  the  ones  I  mean." 

Rosebud  had  not  spoken,  beyond  a  smile  to  Joan  and  a 
gentle  glance  at  Betty. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  Rosebud  ? "  asked  Joan  with 
a  kindly  interest,  intended  to  make  amends  for  her  care 
less  speech. 

"  I  'm  going  to  Oberlin,  Ohio,  to  the  college  there," 
replied  the  girl. 

Both  Joan  and  Betty  started,  and  in  the  glance  which 
both  bent  upon  the  girl,  sewing  quietly,  there  was  aston 
ishment;  in  Betty's,  suspicion,  as  well.  Rosebud's  misty 
dark  eyes  with  their  puzzling  likeness  to  some  one  —  a 
likeness  which  always  eluded  Joan  just  when  she  thought 
she  knew  —  met  their  own  with  impenetrable  frankness. 
The  same  question  met  her  in  the  eyes  of  both  Betty 
and  Joan.  It  began  upon  Joan's  lip,  faltered,  died ;  before 
the  gentle  reticence  of  that  quiet  glance  it  had  seemed 
an  impertinence.  Where  had  she  encountered,  before,  the 


THE    DARK    THREAD  39 

courteous  challenge  of  that  glance?  Somehow,  oddly, 
Joan  seemed  a  little  child  again,  restrained,  controlled 
by  it !  Oh,  what  —  where  had  she  known  it  ?  Betty 
persevered,  unwarned  by  the  glance  which  had  repulsed 
Joan,  holding  her  long  white  neck  a  little  straighter,  and 
with  a  veiled  suspicion  in  her  childlike  eyes,  but  in  a 
rather  guarded  tone;  for  the  girl  was  not  in  the  ordinary 
sense  her  servant.  Upon  Eosebud's  part  it  was  a  voluntary 
service,  and  upon  Betty's  the  protection  which  her  home 
and  her  influence  over  the  girl  afforded.  It  was  not, 
therefore,  the  reprimand  of  a  mistress  to  a  servant,  which 
had  brought  the  worried  frown  to  Betty's  fair  face,  so 
much  as  the  responsibility  she  felt  for  the  girl's  welfare. 
And  Eosebud  understood. 

There  was  amusement,  reassurance,  gratitude,  adora 
tion  almost,  in  the  glance  she  turned  upon  Betty;  and 
something  more:  a  restrained  dignity,  as  of  one  who 
suffered  in  silence  an  injury  from  a  loved  hand,  refrain 
ing  from  speech  which  might  wound. 

"  But,  Eose,"  she  persisted,  "  it  costs  a  great  deal  of 
money  to  go  so  far  away ;  and  then  such  a  college !  Why, 
where  can  you  find  the  money,  child  ?  " 

Eosebud's  eyes  met  Betty's  with  the  same  frank  re 
serve.  "  I  've  been  teaching  some,"  she  said,  "  and  I  shall 
work  at  the  college.  I  'm  a  good  hand  in  the  laundry." 

Betty  drew  a  sigh  of  relief.  "Of  course  —  that !  Well, 
if  you  will  go,  Eosie,  I  'm  going  to  miss  you !  I  '11  make 
Milly  Ann  send  you  a  piece  of  my  wedding-cake." 

"Thank  you,  Miss  Betty,"  said  Eosebud,  gently;  and, 
was  it  tears  in  those  soft,  inscrutable  eyes? 

"  Eosie,"  said  Joan,  as  she  and  Betty  passed  within, 
leaving  the  two  girls  at  their  task,  "come  to  my  room 


40  THE    NORTHERNER 

before  you  go  to-day.  My  things  used  just  to  fit  you; 
and  I  've  a  good  many  last  winter  things  for  you.  If 
you  are  going  to  Ohio  you  must  be  fixed  up." 

There  was  always  this  dainty  practicality  about  Joan. 
Betty  patted  the  head  of  the  ragged  urchin  who  came 
to  sell  blackberries  or,  it  might  be,  a  mocking-bird  in 
a  cigar-box,  and  smiled  her  delicious  smile  upon  him, 
but  Joan's  invariable  formula  for  such  occasions  was, 
"  Eun  to  the  kitchen,  honey,  and  tell  Liddy  to  give  you 
some  cake ! " 

The  library  into  which  the  two  girls  turned  was 
a  spacious  room,  as  were  all  the  old-fashioned  rooms 
at  Hillcrest,  with  high,  frescoed  ceiling,  and  a  floor 
polished  with  what  Watson  declared  to  be  "homicidal 
intent."  Joan  was  a  notable  housekeeper,  and  no  spot 
in  all  Adairville  was  so  attractive  during  the  long  summers 
as  were  the  dim,  cool  rooms  at  Hillcrest.  There  seemed 
always  a  breeze  just  outside  the  long  windows  waiting  to 
sway  the  curtains  softly  to  and  fro;  the  glare  of  the 
brazen  noons  was  tempered  to  cool,  green  shade  by  rose- 
hung  galleries  and  Venetian  blinds. 

Within  was  the  coolness  of  polished  wood,  hushed  to 
silence  by  deep  rugs,  and  the  cold  gleam  of  stately  marble 
mantels  and  hearths.  The  touch  of  the  gay  young  chat 
elaine  was  visible  everywhere,  softening  the  old-time  state- 
liness  of  the  spacious  rooms,  while  leaving  untouched  the 
dignity  of  their  simple  lines  and  wide,  cool  spaces.  There 
were  low  cane  chairs  lined  with  Joan's  favorite  rose-red 
cushions,  and  low  cane  couches  piled  with  them;  big 
Nankeen  bowls  of  roses  filled  the  air  with  sweetness,  and 
tall,  draped  lamps  stood  about  in  corners  and  at  night 
assisted  the  gloom. 


THE    DARK   THREAD  41 

"  Here  are  two  of  them ! "  cried  Betty,  standing  by 
the  table  in  the  hall  with  two  bits  of  pasteboard  in  her 
hand. 

"  Two  visiting-cards  — '  Mr.  Gregory  Falls/  I  like 
his  boldness ! "  she  added  as  she  tossed  the  cards  back 
into  the  tray. 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Joan  with  suspicious  mildness ;  "  that 's 
what  I  have  always  liked  in  Mr.  Falls  —  his  manliness." 

"  I  said  boldness/'  persisted  Betty,  ignoring  the  quiet 
challenge  conveyed  in  Joan's  level-voiced  reply ;  "  to  call 
here  twice,  an  electric  light  man!  When  did  he  call, 
Joan?" 

"  Some  time  ago ;  soon  after  he  was  here  —  that  night, 
you  remember?  He  called  both  times  in  the  afternoon, 
and  I  was  out,  both  times,  I  regret  to  say,"  she  added 
firmly.  "  I  liked  what  I  saw  of  him  very  much." 

Joan's  tone  was  careless;  not  too  careless,  however,  for 
Betty's  gentian  blue  eyes  were  not  to  be  trifled  with  upon 
occasions. 

"  Hugh  likes  Mr.  Falls  —  "  she  added  tentatively,  curl 
ing  herself  comfortably  among  the  cushions  of  a  couch 
and  lifting  a  tiny  jet-black  kitten  from  the  floor  to  share 
it  with  her. 

"  Oh,  that  's  business !  Hugh  is  Mr.  Falls's  lawyer,  he 
has  to  go  with  him  some;  but  socially,  Hugh  would 
not  dream  of  such  a  thing!  You  see,  he  has  never 
brought  him  to  call  on  me." 

"  Perhaps  — "  began  Joan,  and  paused  with  a  little 
flush.  Betty  laughed  lightly;  she  was  too  thoroughly  in 
love  with  Hugh,  and  too  absolutely  content  with  his  love 
for  her,  to  be  nettled  by  the  meaning  implied  in  the  hiatus. 

"Maybe  not,"  lightly,  "but,"  with  smiling  malice,  "I 


42  THE    NORTHERNER 

think  it  is  far  more  probable  that  by  this  time  Mr.  Gregory 
Falls  of  New  York,  New  York,  has  been  too  pointedly 
instructed  that,  in  Adairville,  electric  light  men  don't  go 
into  society,  to  say  nothing  of  Yankees  and  nigger-loving 
Republicans ! " 

Joan  started  up  among  her  cushions,  holding  the  kitten 
curled  into  a  sulky  comma  in  her  hand,  and  facing  Betty 
with  horrified,  angry  eyes. 

"Betty,"  she  cried,  "how  unjust!  How,  how  out 
rageous  !  How  dare  you  say  such  dreadful  things  ? " 

"You  need  n't  be  angry  with  me,  Jo,"  pleaded  Betty 
pacifically,  somewhat  awed  by  Joan's  fire ;  "  it  's  not  me 
—  any  more  than  every  one !  Everybody  is  talking  about 
it!" 

"  About  what  ? "  cried  Joan,  sitting  very  erect  among 
her  cushions,  unconsciously  waving  the  limp  kitten  in 
angry  protest.  "  What  has  Mr.  Falls  done  to  have  the 
whole  of  Adairville  down  upon  him?  Mr.  Falls  is  noth 
ing  to  me,  of  course,  but  I  hate  —  simply  hate  —  injustice 
and  narrow-mindedness,  and  this  petty,  this  despicable 
sectional  prejudice ! " 

"  But  Joan,  you  Tcnow  Mr.  Falls  is  a  Yankee ! " 

"Of  course  I  know  that  he  is  from  somewhere  in  New 
England.  But  what  e-a-rthly  difference  does  it  make?" 

"  He  *s  a  Republican ;  and  all  Republicans  believe  in 
negro  equality ! " 

"  Pooh !  "  in  quick  scorn,  "  how  p-e-r-fectly  r-i-diculous ! 
That  sort  of  talk  is  what  Hugh  calls  '  sedge-field  Democ 
racy/  I  'd  be  ashamed  to  own  it ! " 

"I  'd  be  ashamed  to  defend  a  man  who  would  put  negroes 
over  the  heads  of  white  men !  The  whole  town  is  furious 
about  it!  Mr.  Falls  took  off  Joe  Bowers  —  you  know 


THE    DARK   THREAD  43 

Joe  Bowers?  I  had  him  in  my  Sunday-school  class  — 
and  put  a  nigger,  a  b-l-a-ck  nigger,  in  his  place  to  run 
cars  for  white  people !  " 

A  troubled  frown  crossed  Joan's  brow. 

"  I  had  not  heard,"  she  said  slowly ;  "  but  it  is  only 
a  mistake,  Betty!  He  does  not  understand,  that  is  all! 
I  suppose  Joe  was  no  good  —  he  is  not,  you  know,  Betty ! 
Joe  Bowers  is  the  most  trifling  creature  on  earth;  there 
is  not  a  respectable  negro  in  town  that  is  not  better !  Mr. 
Falls  saw  negroes  driving  all  sorts  of  things,  carriages 
with  ladies,  and  all  that.  And  really,  Betty,  what  is  the 
difference?  Don't  you  and  I  drive  out  every  day  with 
negro  drivers?  Why,  lots  of  times  I  sit  right  on  the 
seat  beside  Zeke  —  Zeke  puts  me  on  my  Kitchie  every 
time  I  ride !  " 

"  It  's  different,"  declared  Betty.  "  The  way  Zeke  puts 
you  on  your  horse  is  just  as  if  he  was  a  step-ladder  — 
or  a  mounting-block !  " 

"  Not  at  all !  I  like  Zeke ;  he  is  a  human  being.  I 
know  he  feels  kindly  to  me,  and  I  'm  glad  he  does! 
I  value  his  respect;  I  would  not  knowingly  do  any 
thing  to  forfeit  it.  And  I  do  not  so  regard  the  step- 
ladder!" 

"  How  can  you  defend  him,  Joan  ?  "  cried  Betty  hotly, 
"  a  man  who  associates  with  negroes !  Would  you  receive 
him  if  you  knew  he  went  with  negroes?" 

"  Betty,  you  will  give  me  nervous  prostration  with  your 
folly  —  your  wicked  folly !  You  know  in  your  heart  you 
no  more  believe  Gregory  Falls  associates  with  negroes  than 
you  believe  it  of  Hugh!  What  is  all  this  about  him, 
Betty  ?  Tell  me  what  your  father  says  ?  " 

"He  's  dreadfully  unpopular  —  " 


44  THE    NORTHERNER 

"Unpopular?  Pooh!  You  cannot  pick  a  flaw  in 
him ! " 

"  I  cannot  in  his  clothes,  I  grant  that,  Joan !  I  1-o-v-e 
the  way  he  dresses !  He  's  the  best  groomed  man  in  town. 
And  I  like  the  way  he  parts  his  hair  —  " 

"  Diogenes,  scratch  Betty ! "  cried  Joan  to  the  tiny  cat 
lying  upon  her  arm  blinking  at  her  with  the  jeweled  eyes 
of  an  Eastern  idol. 

"But  he  is  so  big  and  gloomy;  and  he  stands  about 
and  takes  up  so  much  room !  And  then,  you  know,  negro 
equality,  that's  awful,  Joan !  " 

"  Big ! "  cried  Joan.  "  That  sounds  well  from  you, 
Betty  Archer !  A  woman  who  will  have  to  give  Hugh 
Watson  house-room  for  the  rest  of  her  life!  Diogenes, 
scratch  Betty,  hard!" 


IV 

"WHERE  is  WOMAN'S  FANCY  BRED?" 

"  ijlATHER,"  called  Joan  from  where  she  knelt  upon 

J_  the  grassy  border  of  the  lawn,  transplanting  chrys 
anthemums  for  the  winter  garden,  "  father,  what  is  all 
this  about  Mr.  Falls?" 

"  What  ? "  asked  Judge  Adair,  his  voice  coming  from, 
the  rustling  caverns  of  his  daily  paper. 

"  This,"  explained  Joan  lucidly,  waving  the  flabby  sheet 
which  she  had  found  a  moment  before  in  the  dewy  grass. 

"  Why  not  read  it,  dear  ? "  inquired  her  father  kindly 
and  provokingly;  secretly  hoping  to  be  left  in  peace 
about  a  matter  of  which  he  really  knew  little  and  which 
he  did  not  care  at  all  to  discuss. 

"I  am  —  I  mean  I  have;  but  it  is  rather  odd,  is  n't 
it,  father?  I  do  not  seem  to  be  able  to  understand  it." 

"  No  more  can  I  —  no  more  can  any  one ! "  replied 
Judge  Adair  succinctly,  and  raised  his  paper  an  inch 
higher. 

Silence  reigned  for  five  minutes ;  unbroken  save  for  the 
blue  jays,  who  screamed  their  joyous  maledictions  across 
the  sunny  air,  and  the  rustle  of  Judge  Adair's  paper  as 
he  waded  more  and  more  deeply  into  the  current  of  repor- 
torial  imaginings. 

45 


46  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  But,  father !  "  Once  more  the  sweet,  insistent  voice 
dragged  the  reluctant  Judge  Adair  remorselessly  from 
those  enticing  columns.  "  I  thought  Mr.  Falls  owned  the 
electric  light  plant,  and  the  cars  —  and  everything  —  " 

"  So  he  does,  I  think." 

"Well?" 

Perceiving  that  the  end  was  not  yet,  Judge  Adair 
laid  down  his  paper  definitely;  and,  unconsciously  adopt 
ing  the  tone  of  bored  resignation  which  men  use  in 
elucidating  the  mysteries  of  business  complications  to 
women,  he  said,  "  The  affair,  as  I  understand  it,  amounts 
to  this :  Falls  —  who  is  a  most  unpopular  man  —  bought 
this  electric  light  and  power  business  from  the  old  com 
pany,  that  had  formerly  owned  and  failed  to  operate  it 
successfully  here,  under  the  impression  that  he  could  in 
some  way  do  what  they  had  failed  to  do,  under  exactly 
the  same  conditions.  That  is  all,  really,  that  there  is  to  it." 

"It  seems  to  me,"  said  the  girl,  prodding  deep  little 
wells  in  the  soft  mould  with  the  handle  of  her  trowel, 
"that  they  are  more  bitter  against  Mr.  Falls  than  they 
were  toward  the  old  company.  Is  it  so,  do  you  think, 
father  ?  And,  what  has  he  done  ?  " 

"  Well,  yes ;  the  town  is  very  bitter  against  Falls ;  it  is 
a  difficult  matter  to  explain.  It  has  its  roots  deep  down 
among  the  ineradicables ;  it  is  sectional  prejudice,  of 
course,  but  —  daughter,  I  do  not  say  this  out  in  town,  you 
know  —  as  long  as  you  have  asked  me,  Falls  has  done 
nothing,  really;  thought  he  could  run  his  business  to 
suit  himself,  and  by  the  same  methods  which  he  would 
use,  say,  in  Manchester,  or  California,  or  New  England, 
without  taking  cognizance  of  Frazier  and  the  City  Fathers 
generally.  Then  that  street-car  business  —  the  negro 


'WOMAN'S    FANCY'  47 

motorman;  that  has  aroused  most  bitter  feeling.  Falls's 
methods  are  not  what  are  called  conciliatory,  I  believe." 

"  Can  any  one  prevent  a  man  from  running  his  business 
to  suit  himself?"  inquired  Joan,  a  new  light  as  to  busi 
ness  procedure  breaking  in  upon  her  mind,  and  astonish 
ment  and  indignation  mingling  in  her  voice. 

"  That  seems  to  be  the  question  before  Adairville  just 
now."  Judge  Adair  waved  his  hand  toward  the  paper 
which  she  still  held.  "Is  it  Falls's  business  or  is  it  the 
town's?  Falls  owns  the  plant  and  pays  its  expenses,  and 
undoubtedly  he  thinks  he  can  run  it  to  suit  himself,  for 
he  is  doing  it !  "  A  gentle  laugh  gleamed  in  the  old  man's 
eyes.  "  I  cannot  help  admiring  what  Hugh  calls  his 
'  sand/  But,  unfortunately,  Adairville  is  his  partner 
whether  he  likes  it  or  no,  and  if  that  partner  pulls  out ! M 

"  I  think  it  was  rather  fine  in  Mr.  Falls  to  put  Will- 
Henry  back  after  he  had  received  the  notice  from  the  city, 
don't  you,  father  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  he  slowly ;  "  why,  yes,  child,  it  was  fine, 
in  the  abstract !  It  was  as  fine  a  bit  of  real,  tough,  wrong- 
headed  manliness  as  I  have  ever  known.  But  it  was  crassly 
impolitic.  And  Adairville  is  not  going  to  put  up  with  it !  " 

Joan  flung  the  trowel  from  her  and,  leaving  her  plants 
to  wither  upon  the  ground,  came  upon  the  gallery  and 
seated  herself  upon  the  broad  arm  of  her  father's  chair. 

"  Father  "  —  with  her  lovely  head  upon  one  side  Joan 
subjected  Judge  Adair  to  a  critically  absent-minded  in 
spection,  adjusting  his  tie,  with  deft  fingers,  patting  it 
softly  into  place  as  though  it  had  been  a  bonnet-string  — 
"  father,  this  is  only  a  mistake  that  Mr.  Falls  is  making, 
don't  you  think  so?  But  it  will  get  him  into  trouble, 
will  it  not?" 


48  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  I  think  he  is  in  a  fair  way  to  have  trouble  —  yes ! " 

"  Why  does  not  some  one  tell  him,  explain  about  things 
here?" 

"Falls  is  not  a  boy  in  roundabouts,  Joan,  playing 
marbles.  He  is  a  hard,  shrewd  man  of  the  world,  and  he 
plays  his  game  as  such;  he  must  take  what  the  world 
has  for  him.  It  is  no  one's  business ;  he  would  not  thank 
any  one  to  interfere  —  would  not  put  up  with  it ! " 

"I  thought  Challie  —  " 

"Hugh  is  his  lawyer  and,  I  think,  his  friend.  If 
there  is  any  one  in  the  place  who  could  influence  Falls 
it  would  be  Hugh;  but  in  matters  like  this,  the  way  he 
runs  his  business  —  the  stand  he  chooses  to  take  to  the 
town  —  those  matters  are  not  in  Hugh's  jurisdiction." 

"Not  as  a  lawyer,  perhaps,  but  as  his  friend,  don't 
you  think,  father  ?  " 

Joan  was  still  pursuing  her  rigidly  absent-minded  in 
spection;  she  blew  a  fleck  of  dust  off  her  father's  coat, 
touched  his  thick,  silvery  hair,  smoothed  a  wrinkle  out 
of  his  handsome,  firm  old  cheek  with  one  rosy  forefinger. 
"I  never  could  bear  old  Mr.  Jim  Frazier,  could  you, 
father  ?  And  what  has  he  to  do  with  Mr.  Falls,  anyhow  ?  " 

"  Frazier  is  a  member  of  the  City  Council,  and  he  has 
what  the  negroes  call  "fluence,'  big  'fluence,  in  business 
circles  here.  He  and  Falls  differed  about  the  privileges, 
I  understand." 

"  Privileges  ?  "  with  a  straight  furrow  in  her  white  brow 
over  perplexed  eyes. 

"  It  had  been  the  custom,"  went  on  Judge  Adair  calmly, 
but  with  an  eye  in  which  a  twinkle  lurked,  deep  down, 
fixed  upon  his  daughter's  interested  face,  "it  had  been 
the  usual  custom  —  at  least,  the  other  company  did  it  — 


'WOMAN'S    FANCY '  49 

to  allow  the  members  of  the  City  Council  all  sorts  of 
perquisites:  free  lighting  of  homes  and  offices,  passes  the 
year  round  on  the  cars  and  all  that ;  but  Falls  —  unlucky 
devil !  —  cut  it  off ;  and  even  "  —  he  paused  to  laugh  with 
keen  enjoyment  — "  even  had  the  gall  to  send  in  bills ! 
No-o!  It  is  only  business,  I  believe.  .  .  .  Well,  perhaps 
not ;  but  I  am  not  a  business  man !  " 

The  paper  had  been  abandoned;  the  old  man's  shrewd, 
tender  smile  rested  upon  the  girl  as,  with  roused  and 
indignant  partisanship,  she  argued  the  question  of  Falls' s 
abstract  rights  in  a  matter  where  abstract  right  entered 
as  little  as  analytical  chemistry,  as  Judge  Adair  very 
thoroughly  understood;  and  whose  issues  were  fixed,  as 
he  believed,  past  all  interference  by  a  very  concrete  human 
selfishness. 

He  had  seen  Joan  thus,  many  times;  he  delighted  in 
the  clear-headed  acumen  with  which  she  would  get  at  the 
rights  of  the  matter,  and  the  instantaneous  decision  with 
which  she  would  range  herself  upon  the  side  of  right,  no 
matter  how  forlorn  a  hope  that  side  might  be. 

The  girl's  vigorous  mentality  found  little  scope  in  the 
peaceful  routine  of  her  life  here  in  Adairville,  and  Judge 
Adair  realized  the  necessity  for  a  wider  field  than  books 
alone  could  give  her;  he  knew  the  quality  of  her  mind, 
and  that  it  needed  the  friction  of  contact  with  other  living 
minds  and  wills,  to  strike  the  flash  of  fire  he  so  loved 
to  see.  He  had  made  a  companion  of  the  girl  —  even  in 
her  madcap  days,  when  she  had  been  more  like  a  happy, 
vigorous  boy  than  a  girl  —  and  had  talked  life  and  men, 
politics  and  finance,  to  her  as  he  would  not  have  done  to 
many  men.  He  had  included  her  always  in  all  that 
interested  himself  and  Hugh,  tacitly  assuming  both  her 


50  THE    NORTHERNER 

interest  and  her  comprehension  in  his  work  in  the  Courts. 
He  and  Watson  had  always  accorded  her  her  point  of 
view  upon  every  question,  from  the  Federal  Judiciary  to 
the  fluffy  chickens  upon  the  mountain  farm.  Under 
this  system  of  training,  which  undoubtedly  had  its  faults, 
Joan  had  developed  an  untrammeled  mind  and  a  mental 
poise  unusual  in  a  woman.  She  had  what  Watson  called 
a  "  sort  of  man-sense  "  which  she  had  acquired  from  con 
stant  companionship  with  himself  and  Judge  Adair;  they 
hoth  loved  her  with  an  adoring  affection,  but  they  had 
not  petted  her  even  as  a  child,  and  had  shrewdly  made 
her  fit  herself  and  her  feminine  standards  to  the  calm 
logic  of  their  man-sense.  She  was  as  absolutely  unspoiled 
as  it  is  possible  for  a  beautiful  and  spirited  girl  to  be; 
natural,  and  frankly  loving;  and  as  frankly  disconcerting 
to  her  women  friends,  whom  she  measured  according  to 
the  scale  of  her  father's  calm  judicial  standards,  and 
Hugh's  shrewd  insight  into  men. 

Judge  Adair  thought  now,  with  a  smile,  of  what  thia 
fight  between  the  city  and  Falls  would  afford  her,  and 
almost  wished  that  he  was  not  himself  upon  the  same 
side,  that  he  might  the  more  fully  enjoy  her.  To  Falls 
himself,  or  to  the  possibility  of  any  other  interest  than 
that  which  he  had  seen  her  show  so  many  times  coloring 
her  partisanship,  he  gave  not  a  thought. 

He  thought  instead,  sitting  in  the  sunlight  with  the 
girl  upon  his  knee,  for  the  thousandth  time,  that  if  she 
had  only  been  a  boy,  what  a  lawyer,  what  a  statesman,  he 
would  have  made  of  her! 

"  There  is  Hugh,"  the  old  man  thought  a  little  sadly ; 
"yes,  yes,  Hugh  is  what  I  have  made  him  —  almost! 
The  boy  is  a  lawyer  and  a  gentleman;  but/'  with  a 


"WOMAN'S    FANCY'  51 

plaintive  sigh,  "he  is  so  d humorous!  I  did  not  do 

that!  That  is  the  Watson  strain,  and  the  Watson  strain 
may  be  deeper  in  him  than  I  know;  it  may  in  time  undo 
all  that  I  have  done;  cross  strains  of  blood  may  work 
the  devil  in  a  man!  But  a  mind  like  Joan's  will  work 
out  like  a  mathematical  problem  clearly  from  cause  to 
effect.  There  is  but  one  uncertain  quality  in  her  —  her 
sex!" 

Yet,  Judge  Adair,  shrewd  jurist  that  he  was,  failed  to 
take  cognizance  of  the  personal  element  in  this  new  in 
terest,  as  well  as  the  woman's  imagination  which  thrilled 
and  warmed  behind  Joan's  clear,  strong  brain,  infusing 
her  interest  in  Falls's  concerns  with  a  dangerous  human 
warmth.  He  forgot  for  the  moment  that  this  Joan,  who 
should  have  been  John  but  was  not,  was  alive  and  thrilling 
to  her  fingers'  ends  with  a  subtle  response  to  those  triple 
chords  of  youth  and  sex  and  self  which  Falls's  magnetic 
virility  had  swept  into  a  soundless  music ;  felt,  not  heard ; 
hearkened  to,  not  yet  comprehended. 

"  Father,"  she  said  as  Judge  Adair  was  leaving,  "  you 
knew  that  Mr.  Falls  had  called  here,  twice?" 

"  I  saw  the  cards.  What  is  it,  Joan  ?  Are  you  about 
to  consult  me  for  the  first  time  in  your  life,  about  one 
of  your  suitors  ?  " 

"  Xo !  "  she  laughed  lightly.  "  I  do  not  require  the  aid 
of  the  Federal  Judiciary  in  such  matters,  thank  you, 
father.  When  it  comes  to  suitors,  I  prefer  military  dis 
cipline.  And,  father,  there  are  no  suitors  nowadays !  Men 
do  not  come  to  sue  any  more;  they  come  to  argue  and 
browbeat,  and  lay  down  the  law!  What  I  mean  is,  Betty 
says  Mr.  Falls  is  a  Republican  —  and  that  all  Republicans 
believe  in  negro  equality." 


52  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Humph,  Betty  seems  to  have  inherited  old  Ben  Arch 
er's  politics!  Betty  was  the  president  or  secretary  or 
a  director  of  one  of  those  insolvent  clubs  or  guilds  that 
Falls  sent  bills  to,  was  she  not?" 

"  Yes ;  and  you  think  I  might  be  nice  to  Mr.  Falls, 
negro  equality  and  all?" 

"  That  is  a  matter  entirely  within  your  own  jurisdiction, 
child!  You  may  'be  nice'  to  any  man  on  God's  earth 
whom  your  own  good  sense  and  good  taste  tell  you  is 
worthy  of  that  distinction.  Your  decision  in  such  a 
matter  carries  my  endorsement  with  it,  as  a  matter  of 
course.  For  the  rest  —  why,  Falls  must  look  out  for 
himself  when  it  comes  to  the  exhibition  of  the  'nice- 
ness  ' ! " 

Joan  had  not  seen  Falls  to  speak  to  him  since  the  June 
night  six  months  before.  An  occasional  bow  on  the  street 
and  a  gravely  lifted  hat  in  return  had  been  all. 

There  had  been  all  summer  a  slow  stirring  of  dislike 
to  Falls  which,  originating  in  the  business  circles  down 
town,  had  widened  and  widened  until  its  outer  edge  had 
touched  even  Joan's  remote  life.  The  oppressive  heat  had 
kept  women  indoors,  and  society  languished;  it  was  too 
early  for  "  fall  cotton "  to  start  its  annual  ripple  upon 
the  stagnant  surface  of  both  business  and  society;  and 
Falls,  his  attitude  toward  Adairville  (which  was  defined 
somewhat  oddly,  with  a  bitter  reminiscence  of  the  hardly 
skinned-over  wounds  of  Reconstruction  times,  as  "  op 
pressive"),  his  uncompromising  business  methods,  and  his 
determination  to  thrust  negro  equality  upon  the  town  by 
putting  negroes  upon  the  cars,  were  the  accepted  topics 
of  conversation.  Upon  vine-shaded  porticos,  where  Adair- 


'WOMAN'S    FANCY'  53 

ville's  four  hundred  spent  the  short  hot  evenings,  women 
spoke  with  bated  breath  of  Falls's  incendiary  attempt  to 
establish  negro  equality,  hinting  vague  calumnies  — 
women  who  had  never  heard  his  voice  in  their  lives,  and 
whose  only  knowledge  of  him  was  a  glimpse  of  his  tall 
figure  in  the  street,  or  a  careless  glance  from  his  grave 
eyes  in  passing.  Men  were  grimly  silent;  but  none  the 
less  society's  edict  went  forth.  Adairville's  doors  were  for 
ever  closed,  nay,  hermetically  sealed,  to  any  man  who 
believed  in  negro  equality. 

With  the  cooler  weather,  when  society  mounted  its 
rather  slow  coach,  the  ripple,  which  had  been  a  catspaw 
of  gossip,  culminated  in  one  great  gust  of  indignant 
dismay. 

Falls's  manager  had  sent  in  bills  to  the  various  guilds 
and  church  societies  for  lighting  the  churches  and  club- 
rooms  and  meeting-halls  of  all  kinds;  and  as  the  bills 
were  already  months  in  arrears,  payment  was  likely  to 
wreck  the  bank-accounts  of  the  various  societies! 

Indignation  meetings  were  held  daily  at  the  different 
houses  of  the  officials  of  the  societies  and  guilds;  frappe 
was  served,  and  the  members  with  great  display  of  business 
promptitude  resolved  themselves  into  committees  to  "  see 
this  Mr.  Falls  —  his  name  was  Falls,  was  n't  it  ?  —  and 
just  tell  him,  right  out,  what  they  thought  of  him  and 
his  ways  of  doing  business!  He  did  not  know,  certainly, 
what  had  always,  always  been  the  custom  here!  He  was 
from  the  North  —  oh,  dear,  yes!  Would  n't  anybody 
know,  by  the  way  he  acted !  Why,  who  ev-er  h-e-a-r-d  of 
charging  the  churches,  and  sending  bills  to  ladies ! " 

It  was  finally  decided  that  Mrs.  Eldridge-Jones,  the 
senior  president  of  all  the  societies  and  clubs,  should,  as  a 


54  THE    NORTHERNER 

committee  of  one,  approach  this  Mr.  Falls,  and  make, 
so  to  speak,  a  test  case  of  her  particular  societies. 

"I  must  say,"  confided  Mrs.  Eldridge- Jones  to  old 
Jerry,  who  had  been  her  coachman  before  the  war,  and  had 
known  her  in  her  days  of  pride  when,  as  the  wife  of  "  the 
Senator,"  she  had  been  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
women  in  "  the  Confederacy " ;  and  later,  when  shorn 
of  her  grandeur,  she  had,  with  the  shrewd  sense  which 
distinguished  her,  annexed  with  a  hyphen  Colonel  Jones 
and  his  rubber-tired  carriages  —  "I  must  say,  I  have  lived 
in  Adairville  all  my  life,  befo'  the  wah  and  during  th' 
wah  and  since  the  wah,  but  this  is  the  first  time  I  ever  was 
in  this  part  of  town !  Can  we  get  through,  Jerry  ?  " 

"Lawd,  Miss  Liza,  dere  is  de  plain  street!  Coursen 
we  kin  git  throu'." 

"  Well,  drive  to  that  door,  and,  no  —  you  need  not 
get  down,  he  will  come  out  when  he  sees  who  it  is ! " 

But  minute  after  minute  passed,  and  the  door  opening 
into  Falls's  office  had  remained  closed;  neither  did  the 
planks  show  any  signs  of  shriveling  beneath  the  lady's 
scorching  glances;  for,  as  ill-luck  directed,  Falls  sat  in 
full  view  of  Mrs.  Eldridge-Jones,  calmly  dictating  letters 
without  a  glance  toward  the  waiting  carriage ;  and  worse, 
when  at  last,  in  answer  to  Jerry's  knock,  the  door  had 
been  opened,  Mrs.  Eldridge-Jones  had  distinctly  heard 
Falls's  careless,  "  See  what  she  wants,  Cunimings !  " 

"  She !  "  Mrs.  Eldridge-Jones !  Miss  Winter  that  was, 
and  the  belle  of  the  Confederacy! 

At  last,  furious  but  determined,  her  beautiful  old  hands 
"with  delicate,  pointed  fingers  trembling  with  passion,  she 
made  Falls's  stenographer  understand  that  it  was  Falls 
himself,  Falls  in  person,  whom  she  demanded  to  see! 


"WOMAN'S    FANCY '  55 

"Ask  the  lady  to  come  in,"  said  he  calmly;  but  Cum- 
mings's  dubious  glance  at  the  floor  of  the  rough,  tem 
porary  office  and  backward  to  the  voluminous  folds  of  the 
lady's  silken  gown  sent  Falls  lazily  toward  the  door.  He 
made  the  concession  as  he  would  have  lifted  a  kitten  across 
a  mud-puddle  to  save  its  dainty  paws. 

Mrs.  Eldridge- Jones  had  never  encountered  Falls  since 
the  night  when  she  had  seen  him  waltzing  with  Joan ;  to 
her  obstinate  prejudice  he  was  the  "  electric  light  man," 
as  was  the  man  who  read  her  meter,  and  the  man  in  blue 
overalls  who  put  up  wires  in  front  of  her  house;  and  it 
was  in  his  character  as  a  workman  that  she  intended  to 
have  her  interview  with  Falls.  She  did  not  recognize  the 
possibility  of  his  having  any  other  personality.  True, 
she  had  heard  that  he  associated  with  negroes  —  advocated 
negro  supremacy,  but  for  the  moment  that  could  go.  She 
had  rehearsed  her  speech  as  she  came  down,  not  without  a 
certain  malicious  pleasure.  Jack  Adair  might  let  his 
daughter  dance  with  the  offscourings  of  the  Xorth,  but  she, 
Mrs.  Eldridge-Jones,  was  true  to  the  old  standards  with 
her  last  drop  of  blood!  This  man  should  learn  what  was 
due  to  the  women  of  the  Southern  Confederacy! 

The  speech  had  opened  in  conciliatory  wise :  "  My  good 
man,  surely  you  are  not  going  to  charge  the  Ladies  of  the 
Confederacy  —  "  but  even  if  her  anger  at  what  she  deemed 
sheerest  insolence  in  Falls  had  not  swept  all  thought  of 
condescension  from  her  mind,  Falls's  appearance  and 
manner  as  he  stood  beside  her  carriage  bareheaded,  with 
patient  courtesy,  would  have  been  sufficient  to  effect  a 
change  of  policy.  She  was  too  shrewd  a  tactician  not  to 
understand  perfectly  that  her  attack  as  she  had  planned 
it  would  rebound  from  the  armor  of  this  man  as  a  puerile 


56  THE    NORTHERNER 

impertinence.  Impertinence  was  a  familiar  weapon,  but 
puerility  gave  her  sturdy  insolence  pause.  Not  for  sixty 
years  had  her  arrogant  eyes  measured  men  and  manners 
to  fail  now  to  recognize  a  caste  which,  if  not  her  own  — 
nothing  short  of  the  old  Charlestonians,  and  the  angels 
right  next  the  throne  were  included  within  that  sacred 
pale  —  was  nevertheless  unmistakable.  With  coldest  cour 
tesy  she  tendered  Falls  several  notes,  together  with  the 
bill  his  manager  had  sent  in  to  her  as  president  of  half 
a  dozen  societies  and  clubs.  Falls  glanced  with  surprise 
toward  them  as  the  reason  for  her  call  broke  dimly  upon 
his  mind. 

"  Do  you  wish/'  he  inquired  with  gentle  deference, 
which  enraged  her  afresh,  seeing  as  she  did  that  the  defer 
ence  was  accorded  not  to  the  erstwhile  belle  of  the  Con 
federacy,  but  to  the  old  woman  of  seventy  years  who 
sat  before  him,  "  do  you  wish  to  pay  a  bill  here  ?  " 

"  Where  else  ?  "  she  replied  with  withering  emphasis. 

A  smile  just  glimmered  in  Falls's  eyes  —  she  marked 
their  beauty,  and  the  glimmer  —  as,  marveling  at  the 
temper  sparkling  in  her  vindictive  glance,  he  made  reply, 
"You  have  come  —  by  mistake  —  to  my  private  office." 

"  Ah  ?  Just  be  so  kind  as  to  receipt  these  bills  —  in 
full  —  up  to  date  — "  vague  fragments  of  business  for 
mulae  floating  back  to  her. 

Falls's  smile  deepened;  he  did  not  even  glance  toward 
the  notes,  though  he  duly  admired  the  beautiful  wrinkled 
hand  so  imperiously  extended  toward  him;  stooping,  he 
gently  withdrew  the  folds  of  her  skirt  and  closed  the 
carriage  door. 

"  Take  Mrs.  —  er  —  Jones  to  the  up-town  office ;  there 
will  be  some  one  there  to  wait  on  her,"  he  said  quietly 


"WOMAN'S    FANCY'  57 

to  the  coachman,  and  with  a  bow  left  her,  speechless,  ifl 
her  carriage. 

Mrs.  Eldridge-Jones  leaned  back  in  her  cushions,  her 
eyes,  still  strong  and  bright  amid  the  puckered  folds  of 
their  once  languishing  lids,  stern  with  resolve,  and  bright 
with  the  angry  activity  of  the  brain  behind  them. 

Against  the  man  in  the  blue  overalls  she  would  have 
been  unarmed  and  helpless;  but  against  this  man  who 
had  just  put  her  in  her  place  with  gentle  ease,  and  had 
kept  her  there  —  nay,  had  dismissed  her  —  against  this 
man,  then,  there  was  a  shining  weapon  within  the  armory 
of  her  mind  whose  use  she  understood  to  the  degree  of 
perfection.  Social  ostracism  could  be  made  to  mean  all 
to  this  man  that  his  bitterest  enemy  would  have  it  mean; 
the  level  glance  of  cold  avoidance,  which  does  not  accuse 
but  shrinks  from  its  victim;  the  blighting  whisper,  dis 
seminated  like  the  breath  of  the  upas  in  the  air,  before 
which  a  man's  reputation  languishes  and  dies;  the  subtle 
innuendo  settling  like  dry-rot  upon  the  mind  of  the  inno 
cent  and  trusting  —  how  well  she  understood  it  all ! 

Weaving  her  web  backward,  she  wove  into  it  Falls's 
face  as  she  had  seen  it  while  he  waltzed  with  Joan  — • 
Joan's  as  she  lifted  her  smiling  eyes  to  his.  She  had 
been  a  beautiful  woman  for  forty  years,  and  by  the  light 
of  that  past  she  read  him  without  trouble. 

"  He  would  never  stoop  to  sue  for  explanations ;  his  sort 
never  do !  He  will  eat  his  heart  out  with  longing,  but  he 
would  not  bend  that  high  head  an  inch  to  Joan,  nor  to 
Jack  Adair,  if  I  know  aught  of  men  — "  She  laughed 
suddenly,  with  angry  humor.  "  Drive  home,  Jerry ;  I  'm 
able  to  give  my  own  orders  yet  awhile  —  in  spite  of  Mr. 
Gregory  Falls,  of  New  York ! " 


58  THE    NORTHERNER 

She  was  too  clever  a  tactician  to  risk  delay;  before  the 
advent  of  "  fall  cotton "  the  crop  of  dragons'  teeth  had 
sprung  full-armed  to  life.  That  word  of  dread  which 
had  echoed  in  the  ears  of  the  South  during  the  unquiet 
times  of  the  Keconstruction  lifted  its  head  again :  "  Equal 
ity  of  the  races,  negro  supremacy,"  the  banshee  of  the 
Southern  press,  the  lash  of  the  Southern  demagogue ! 

Joan  took  silent  issue  with  the  town;  her  generous 
heart  and  untrammeled  mind  ranged  themselves  silently 
upon  Falls's  side.  Again  and  again  had  she  been  tempted 
to  throw  the  weight  of  her  own  popularity,  backed  by 
the  aegis  of  her  father's  name,  into  the  scale  on  Falls's 
side;  but  always  what  Watson  called  her  "man-sense" 
had  restrained  her  —  the  thought  of  what  Falls  himself 
might  think  of  her  championship.  He  had  given  her  no 
right  to  think  he  valued  her  partisanship;  had  not 
called  again  after  these  first  times;  had  given  no  sign 
of  interest  except  that  his  dark  eyes  sought  her  own 
when  they  met,  with  frank  pleasure. 

The  power-house  lay  just  beyond  the  hill  upon  which 
Judge  Adair's  house  was  built,  and  Joan  often  saw  Falls 
on  his  way  back  and  forth.  It  was  a  long,  hard  walk 
to  town  over  the  hills,  but,  as  Falls  told  himself  with 
grave  mendacity,  he  needed  exercise  —  he  hated  a  crowded, 
stuffy  car! 

Joan  saw  him  now  as  she  was  resuming  operations  upon 
the  winter  garden,  after  her  father  had  left  her. 

Her  glow  of  indignation  still  lingered  and,  it  may  be, 
tipped  her  usually  level  judgment;  but  be  that  as  it  may, 
it  is  certain  that,  as  Falls  came  opposite  to  her  across  the 
privet  hedge,  Joan  looked  up  from  her  low  seat  upon  the 
grassy  border  and  spoke  to  him,  her  voice  carrying  easily 


"WOMAN'S    FANCY'  59 

in  the  quiet  air  across  the  lawn,  vibrating  with  a  warm, 
personal  note,  and  her  eyes  met  his  full  of  friendliness 
across  the  hedge  of  stiff  waxy  foliage. 

Falls  paused  a  moment  involuntarily,  as  he  lifted  hi8 
hat,  and  after  another  instant  of  grim  counsel  with  him 
self  opened  the  gate  and  crossed  the  space  between  them. 

"  Is  n't  it  late  for  gardening  ? "  he  asked,  taking  in 
his  firm  clasp  the  hand  she  reached  him  from  her  low  seat. 
He  retained  it  a  moment  as  she  rose,  lifting  her  strongly 
to  her  feet.  The  clinging  warmth  of  the  girl's  hand  stole 
through  his  frame  like  wine. 

"  I  am  not  really  gardening,"  she  answered.  "  I  am 
only  putting  out  some  mere  chrysanthemums,  and  thin 
ning  the  violets  to  make  them  bloom." 

She  stood  before  him  in  her  simple  home  gown,  like 
the  incarnate  spirit  of  the  warm,  crisp  winter  day.  The 
sun  on  her  bare  head  turned  the  love-locks  on  her  brow 
to  gold,  and  Falls  noted  that  her  eyes  were  precisely  the 
color  of  the  purple-gray  mist  lying  in  the  sunlighted 
valleys. 

To  her  surprise,  he  seemed  interested  when  she  spoke 
of  the  violets,  and  asked,  looking  keenly  about  among 
the  taller  shrubs,  where  the  violets  were;  adding  that 
he  had  never  seen  them. 

"  Have  you  never  seen  a  violet  ? "  echoed  she,  with  so 
sorrowful  a  dismay  that  Falls,  laughing,  had  to  admit 
that  he  had  seen  them  in  flower-stalls. 

"  In  bunches,  you  know ;  but  certainly  not  growing 
out  like  this  —  in  December !  " 

He  stooped  beside  her  and  parted  the  dew-drenched 
leaves  as  she  gathered  a  dozen  long-stemmed,  sturdy 
blooms  of  the  kind  found  in  sunny  banks  in  old  gardens, 


60  THE    NORTHERNER 

which  here  lined  every  winding  walk  and  carpeted  the 
hedgerows. 

He  divined  that  they  were  for  him,  and  had  a  quick 
vision  of  her  little  wet,  rather  muddy  hands  fumbling 
at  his  buttonhole  —  of  that  dainty  presence  close  beside 
him. 

But  no;  young  as  Joan  seemed  beside  Falls's  strong 
maturity,  she  was  a  past  master  in  a  school  whose  portals 
he  had  yet  to  cross.  She  shook  the  wet,  clinging  blooms 
serenely  upon  the  sheets  of  the  Adairville  Daily  Enter 
prise,  spread  tablewise  upon  the  flat-topped  box  row  bor 
dering  the  walks,  and  bent  to  gather  them  in  a  bunch 
with  the  ones  which  Falls  added  from  time  to  time. 

Falls  came  to  her  aid  finally,  his  expert  fingers  per 
forming  the  light  task  with  a  dexterity  which  made  his 
bunch  grow  apace.  As  the  rival  bunches  grew  the  contest 
for  the  few  remaining  blossoms  grew  warm,  and  Falls 
found  himself  grasping  the  stem  of  a  violet  whose  head 
was  firmly  locked  and  twisted  into  that  of  another  held 
with  equal  tenacity  by  Miss  Adair.  He  looked  up  with 
a  smile  to  find,  to  his  amazement,  the  stern  joy  of  combat 
painted  upon  her  face. 

"  We  '11  fight  them !  "  she  cried  joyously ;  "  who  is 
yours  ?  " 

"Fight  them?"  echoed  Falls. 

"  Violets  always  fight  when  they  are  thrown  into  a  pile 
like  this ;  and  it  is  always  a  duel  to  the  death ;  no  quarter 
asked  or  given !  " 

"  We  must  name  them  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  who  will  yours  be  ?  " 

Falls  thought  for  a  moment.  "The  Adairville  Power 
and  Passenger  Company,"  he  said  grimly. 


".WOMAN'S    FANCY"  61 

"  But  that  is  my  sido  too/'  expostulated  Joan ;  "  I 
could  only  put  up  a  sham  fight !  " 

Falls  bent  eagerly  toward  her,  his  somber  eyes  alight. 
"  On  the  company's  side  ?  On  my  side  ?  " 

For  the  moment  the  fight  was  off.  "  You  will  never 
know,  I  could  not  tell  you  if  I  might,  how  I  prize  your 
friendship,  Miss  Adair,"  Falls  said  earnestly. 

And  Joan,  ruthlessly  incriminating  Judge  Adair,  re 
plied:  "Father  and  I  were  just  speaking  of  it;  we 
think,  we  both  think,  all  this/'  with  a  vague  wave  toward 
the  brazen  headlines  of  the  newspaper,  "  is  such  a  perfect 
shame ! " 

"  In  that  case,"  smiled  Falls,  "  in  that  very  delightful 
case,  these  belligerents  had  better  be  parted,"  and  he 
gently  essayed  to  separate  the  little  locked  heads,  which 
resisted  firmly. 

"  They  cannot  be,"  said  Joan  gravely ;  "  once  they  are 
locked  like  that  they  will  behead  themselves  before  they 
will  give  in." 

"  Shall  we,  then,  just  in  a  spirit  of  prophecy,  fight  it 
out?" 

"Yes;  and  I  will  be  —  who  shall  I  be?"  lifting  eyes 
of  gravest  counsel  to  Falls's  own. 

"Whoever  is  behind  that  rot,  there;  Adairville,  I  sup 
pose." 

"Yes,"  she  gently  acquiesced,  "Adairville." 

The  fight  was  on.  The  arena,  strewn  with  violets  in 
stead  of  sand,  rocked  with  the  combat.  The  smooth  stems 
glided  back  and  forth,  darting  like  tongues  of  purple 
flame,  clutching  and  twisting  in  sinuous  curves,  striving 
each  to  bend  the  other  back,  back  until  the  slender  neck, 
bent  at  too  sharp  an  angle  to  the  stem,  should  snap  off. 


62  THE    NORTHERNER 

Joan's  fingers  were  agile  with  long  practice  in  this  mode 
of  warfare,  and  she  shortly  had  Falls  at  her  mercy,  though 
his  superior  strength  and  suppleness  of  wrist  had  told 
heavily  against  her ;  but  she  pressed  him  hard,  and  finally, 
at  the  end  of  a  fierce  sortie,  with  a  skilful  upward  jerk, 
her  violet  clinched  his  antagonist  in  a  death-grip,  there 
was  a  silent  moment  of  grim  struggle  —  during  which 
Joan's  breath  came  short,  and  the  tip  of  a  rose-leaf  tongue 
showed  between  her  parted  lips  in  tense  excitement  — 
and  it  was  over,  leaving  in  Falls's  hand  the  mutilated 
stalk!  He  stooped  for  the  little  slaughtered  head,  and, 
holding  it  in  his  broad  palm,  looked  unsmilingly  down 
upon  it. 

"  So  ?  "  he  said  gently.    "  I  am  to  be  worsted,  am  I  ?  " 

Joan,  too,  was  oddly  serious  over  the  bit  of  fun.  She 
cast  the  little  conqueror  back  to  obscurity,  and,  gathering 
up  the  bunch,  offered  them  all  to  Falls. 

"  See,"  she  said  gravely,  "  he  is  yours  with  all  his 
honors  on  his  head ! " 

"  Which  is  he  ?  "  asked  Falls,  searching  the  little  faces 
as  though  for  a  familiar  one. 

"  This,  I  th-i-nk,"  said  Joan ;  laying  a  slender  fore 
finger  beneath  her  warrior's  head,  she  raised  his  drooping 
face  to  Falls,  who,  suddenly  stooping,  kissed  the  little 
warrior  —  and  the  slim  finger-tip. 

"  I  surrender,"  he  said,  "  to  my  conqueror." 

He  lingered  at  the  gate,  admiring  the  beautiful  old 
house,  with  its  great  fan-shaped  lawns  bordered  with  box 
as  green  as  it  had  been  in  June.  The  December  sun  shone 
warm,  bringing  out  the  racy  odors  of  the  box;  the  blue 
jays,  their  dispute  settled  at  last,  now  shouted  a  brazen 
jubilate  from  the  silver  poplars  which  crowded  to  the 


'WOMAN'S    FANCY'  63 

borders  of  the  lawn  like  "  woodland  beggars  clad  in  silver 
rags,"  shivering  in  the  spicy  air. 

As  she  talked  to  him  idly  and  brightly,  meeting  frankly 
the  controlled  eagerness  of  his  glance,  Joan  was  arguing 
within  herself  strenuously  a  question  of  social  etiquette. 
Should  she  or  not  ask  Falls  to  call?  Her  father  had 
said  she  could  be  nice  to  him;  did  nice  imply  as  much 
as  a  call?  She  knew  that,  uninvited,  Falls  would  not 
repeat  his  call;  she  knew  why  he  would  not  do  so. 

As  he  lingered,  letting  Joan  see  frankly  his  pleasure 
in  the  chance  encounter,  her  ear  caught  the  note  of  wist- 
fulness  which  his  polished  reticence  before  the  world 
so  rigidly  concealed,  so  arrogantly  denied.  And  she 
thought  with  a  rush  of  indignant  pity  of  all  she  had 
heard  of  his  life  in  Adairville;  of  the  wall  of  silent 
antagonism  which  shut  him  out  from  the  genial  warmth 
of  the  social  atmosphere;  of  the  purposeful  isolation 
meted  out  to  him.  She  wondered  anew  how  much  it 
meant  to  him.  He  was  so  strong,  so  capable,  so  self- 
sufficing. 

Joan  was  herself  thoroughly  a  part  of  the  social  life 
of  Adairville;  she  was  bound  by  a  million  ties  of  asso 
ciation  to  the  town  and  its  people  —  ties  as  impalpable  as 
ether  and  as  closely  encompassing.  For  generations  her 
place  here  had  been  kept  warm  for  her  by  some  Grand 
mother  Adair,  or  Grandmother  Courtney,  who  had  been 
a  part  of  the  gay,  stately  life  of  the  old  regime,  as  she 
was  to-day  of  the  easy,  cordial  life  about  her.  Ostracism 
from  this  life  meant  more,  naturally,  to  her  than  it 
could  possibly  mean  to  Falls,  indifferent,  as  she  told 
herself,  alike  to  the  town,  its  people,  its  customs,  its 
society. 


64  THE    NORTHERNER 

But  a  moment  later,  when  he  left  her,  the  invitation 
had  heen  shyly  proffered,  and,  after  a  second  of  silent 
musing,  accepted  frankly;  and  Falls  had  gone  his  way 
with  the  violets  in  his  coat-pocket,  as  Joan  noted  with  a 
silent  stare  of  consternation,  which  melted  into  laughter 
as  she  saw  him,  a  moment  later,  draw  his  pipe  from 
the  same  pocket  1 


THIS   THING   YOU    CALL    COMPLEXION    GOES    TO    THE    BONE 

"  IjlALLS,"  said  Watson,  pushing  a  pile  of  papers  across 
JL      to  him,  "have  you  a  first  name?    If  such  an  old 
Spartan  would  acknowledge  to  the  soft  impeachment  of 
a  Christian  name !  " 

"  No,"  answered  Falls  lazily ;  "  or  if  I  have  I  have 
mislaid  it.  I  never  need  it." 

"  What  do  women  call  you  ?  " 

" '  Mr.  Falls/  as  a  rule." 

"  What  does  the  exception  call  you  ?  " 

"  The  exception,"  with  a  quick  smile,  "  if  there  was 
one,  would  have  no  occasion  to  call  me.  I  'd  be  right 
there  all  the  time !  " 

"  Sign  these  papers  while  you  are  here ;  no  need  to 
read  them.  My  clients  are  not  allowed  to  read  papers. 
Ah,  ha,  '  Gregory ' !  I  might  have  known  it.  Like  a 
mouthful  of  iron  filings !  " 

"  I  think  it  is  rather  an  improvement  on  '  Challie/  * 
grinned  Falls  behind  the  short  pipe  he  was  smoking. 

"  Who  the  devil  —  Joan,  of  course !  I  've  told  her  a 
thousand  times  .  .  .  My  middle  name  is  Chalmers.  These 
papers,  Falls,  these,  you  see?  These  go  to  Hallett;  you 
had  better  take  them  to  him  yourself  and  go  over  them 
with  him." 

65 


66  THE    NORTHERNER 

There  had  come  into  Hugh's  genial  voice  the  hardening 
that  of  late  the  mention  of  Hallett's  name  always  brought 
there. 

"  Sure,"  said  Falls,  "  I  '11  take  them  now." 

"  You  're  not  going,  Falls  ?  " 

"  No ;   I  rather  wanted  to  talk,  if  you  're  not  busy  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all !  I  'd  let  most  anything  go  by  me,  in 
favor  of  such  an  unprecedented  occasion  as  your  '  want 
ing  to  talk.' " 

Falls  sat  at  his  ease  in  the  big  swivel-chair,  his  knee 
propped  against  the  desk;  he  smoked  in  silence  for  a 
minute,  and  when  he  spoke  at  last  there  was  a  restrained 
coldness  in  his  voice,  which  in  a  man  less  grave  and  with 
less  poise  would  have  been  diffidence. 

"  It  's  about  this  infernal  matter  here ;  these  negroes. 
Have  you  heard?" 

Watson  turned  his  stolid  face  with  eyes  of  keen  amuse 
ment  upon  his  companion. 

"  Where  do  you  suppose  I  've  been,  man  —  wandering 
upon  India's  coral  strand  ?  "  He  laughed  a  little,  bluntly. 
"  Have  n't  you  seen  the  morning  papers,  Falls  ? "  He 
was  reaching  a  long  arm  for  them,  when  Falls  stopped 
him  with  a  curt  gesture  of  the  pipe  he  held  in  his  palm. 

"  I  never  read  them,"  he  said  briefly ;  "  tell  it  me  — 
if  it  is  necessary  that  I  should  know." 

"It  is  hardly  that  —  "  said  Hugh.  "It  is  only  that 
blatant  fool,  Montgomery.  He  has  a  column  of  rot  about 
the  negro  motormen.  He  thinks  —  or  he  thinks  he  thinks ; 
he  has  nothing  to  think  with,  you  know;  it  's  only 
ganglionic  action;  he  has  no  brains;  he  does  his  think 
ing  with  his  spinal  cord,  like  the  rhizopods  and  the  other 
creepers !  Well,  anyhow,  his  spinal  cord  is  of  the  opinion 


IT    GOES    TO    THE    BONE         67 

that  you  have  endangered  the  '  Caucasian  supremacy  of 
the  White  Hosts  of  the  American  continent'  by  your 
*  incendiary  action  in  crossing  the  color-line/  Alec  's 
strong  on  the  color-line!  He  makes  copy  of  it  whenever 
he  is  short  of  locals." 

Falls  had  wheeled  about  to  face  Watson,  his  somber 
eyes  aglow  with  wrath,  but  Hugh  was  carefully  building 
a  pyramid  of  the  small  furniture  of  the  desk,  and  he 
did  not  meet  the  other's  angry  eyes. 

"  How  the  devil  have  I  crossed  any  color-line  ? "  de 
manded  Falls. 

"  Put  niggers  on  the  cars  as  motormen  to  run  'em  for 
white  people,"  said  Watson  quietly. 

"  There  are  as  many  negro  passengers,  almost,  as 
white  —  " 

"  That  's  aside  from  the  point ;  if  there  were  more  it 
would  still  be  aside  from  the  point ! "  Watson  threw 
himself  back  in  his  chair,  meeting  the  other  man's  eyes 
with  a  keen  glance,  absolutely  grave  and  compelling. 
"  Before  we  go  any  further,  Falls,  I  want  to  ask  you  a 
question  —  rather  a  brutal  one,  but  necessary :  Was  this 
thing  —  this  putting  those  fool  niggers  in  uniform  and 
putting  'em  on  the  cars  —  done  in  retaliation,  or  was  it  a 
blunder?" 

Falls's  grave  eyes  met  his  own  in  frank  surprise. 

"  Retaliation  ?    Upon  whom  ?    For  what  ?  " 

"  I  knew  it ! "  cried  Watson.  "  I  knew  Joan  was 
right!" 

" ( Joan '  ?  "  echoed  Falls,  a  streak  of  red  showing  iii 
his  dark  cheek.  "  What  was  Miss  Adair  right  about  ? 
You  're  very  enigmatical,  Watson!  I  'm  all  in  the 
dark  —  " 


68  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Joan  wrote  me  —  she  was  writing  about  another  mat 
ter,"  lied  Hugh,  not  just  certain  as  to  how  Joan  would 
take  his  breach  of  confidence  —  "  and  she  mentioned  this 
trouble  here.  She  called  it  a  mistake.  She  did  not  believe 
it  retaliation ;  nor  did  I !  " 

"  Retaliation — oh !  So  the  town  thinks  I  put  the  niggers 
on  for  spite!  What  blasted  rot!  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
Hugh,  I  put  them  on  because  they  were  all  I  could  get. 
But,  do  you  know,  Watson,"  Falls  went  on,  "  I  rather 
fancy  the  beggars!  They  're  quick  to  learn,  and  —  er  — 
pleasant  to  have  about,"  vaguely,  "  good  strong  chaps  in 
case  of  an  accident.  And  what  the  deuce  does  it  matter 
what  color  they  are?  It  's  the  first  time  in  my  life  I 
ever  heard  of  a  man's  complexion  cutting  any  figure  when 
it  came  to  taking  a  car  along  a  track ! " 

"  This  is  n't  a  question  of  complexion ;  it  goes  to  the 
bone ! "  said  Watson,  staring  past  Falls  with  a  hard  gaze. 
"  Where  did  you  tell  me  you  were  born,  Falls  ?  " 

"  Westover,  Massachusetts." 

"And  raised  there?" 

"Thereabouts,  and  in  England.  My  father  used  to 
take  me  with  him  rather  than  leave  me,  a  lonely  little 
shaver,  in  America.  He  'd  put  me  in  school  for  a  term 
while  he  went  about,  and  then  we  'd  come  back." 

Watson  roused  himself.  "  That  explains  it,"  he  said 
slowly.  "You  simply  do  not  understand  this  thing  that 
you  call  'complexion/  Race  antagonism  is  like  certain 
dangerous  chemicals;  innocuous  so  long  as  they  are  un 
disturbed,  but  under  friction  —  force,  they  become  ex 
plosives." 

"  I  do  understand !  "  cried  Falls  hotly.  "  No  man  living 
is  keener  for  racial  purity  than  I,  no  matter  where  it 


IT    GOES    TO    THE    BONE         69 

may  exist !  But  I  confess  I  do  not  understand  the  mani 
festation  of  racial  prejudice  as  it  is  exhibited  here  in 
Adairville  —  no,  no!  I  shall  not  run  amuck  of  local 
institutions!  But  I  want  to  thrash  this  out  for  once 
and  all!  We  '11  leave  out,  if  you  like,  the  question  of 
domestic  service  —  though  the  South  strains  at  a  gnat 
and  swallows  a  camel,  in  that!  Still,  let  us  leave  out 
the  'black  mammies/  and  the  old-time  ' body-servants,,' 
and  the  thousand  capacities  in  which  the  negro  is  to-day 
woven  into  the  social  fabric  of  the  South,  and  there  yet 
remains  the  business  relation.  White  people  buy  and 
sell  side  by  side  with  negroes  in  shops,  serve  them  at 
counters,  ride  in  the  same  cars  with  them,  are  served 
by  them  m  all  sorts  of  governmental  positions  — " 

Watson  raised  his  hand  impressively. 

"You  lack  the  point  of  view,  Falls;  they  do  these 
things  upon  a  recognized  lower  plane,  the  plane  of  an 
inferior  race.  The  motif  of  the  South's  attitude  toward 
the  descendants  of  the  old  slave  race  is,'  that  the  negro 
race  is  not  only  the  inferior,  but  the  subordinate,  race. 
Anything  which  tends  to  tip  the  balance  the  other  way  —  ! 
That  is  where  the  shoe  pinches  Adairville  in  the  matter 
of  the  negro  motormen ;  they  had  a  semblance  of  equality 
in  the  position  you  give  them !  " 

"  Bosh ! "  cried  Falls,  but  his  stern  lips  curved  into 
a  smile.  "  Since  you  think  it  best,  Hugh,  I  '"11  let  the 
beggars  go.  I  '11  have  men  here  on  that  midnight  train." 

"  I  think  it  is  expedient ;  I  don't  go  any  further  than 
that,  Falls." 

Falls  had  risen  to  go,  but  he  paused,  stood  silent  a 
moment,  then  abruptly :  "  Watson,  what  did  you  say  Miss 
Adair  said  about  this  matter?" 


70  THE    NORTHERNER 

Hugh  drew  a  sheaf  of  papers  from  his  pocket  and 
without  looking  at  Falls,  who  paused  alertly  by  his  side, 
deftly  sifted  them. 

"  Here,"  he  selected  a  small  gray  envelope  and  tossed 
it  to  Falls. 

"May  I?    Thanks." 

A  dozen  hasty  lines  were  inscribed  within  in  Joan's 
bold,  even  writing. 

"DEAR  HUGH  :  —  You  had  better  come  home  and  look  after 
Mr.  Falls.  He  does  not  understand  things  here  in  the  least.  I 
inclose  Alec  Montgomery's  article  from  the  morning  paper.  He 
is  a  cad  —  father  says  so,  too  ! 

« Mr.  Falls  is  simply  making  a  mistake  —  any  one  can  see 
that;  but  in  view  of  this  other  talk  about  negro  equality  —  so 
hateful  of  them  !  Still,  it  is  unfortunate. 

"  Let  Mr.  Bellew's  case  go  ;  he  has  plenty  of  money,  anyhow, 
and  come  back  at  once  and  look  after  Mr.  Falls. 

"  Of  course,  Will-Henry  must  go  ;  but  I  cannot  well  discuss  it 
with  Mr.  Falls,  even  if  he  gave  me  the  chance,  and  he  does  not. 
But,  as  he  has  nobody  but  us  two,  you  must  come. 

"  Lovingly,  JOAN  ADAIR." 

In  one  corner  of  the  sheet  was  scribbled  a  small  ellipse. 
When  Falls  reached  it  the  eyes  of  the  two  men  met 
with  a  smile. 

"  Joan  has  not  kissed  me  since  she  put  on  long  dresses, 
you  know;  but  she  always  adds  a  kiss  like  that  at  the 
end  of  her  letters." 

"  You  enjoy  some  very  enviable  perquisites,  Hugh," 
said  Falls  as  he  tendered  the  note  rather  wistfully  to 
Watson.  "  Just  what  relation  are  you  of  the  Adairs  ?  " 

Hugh  waved  it  back.  "  You  may  have  it.  No  relation/* 
he  went  on,  his  heavy  face  softening.  "  It  }s  heart-kin, 


IT    GOES    TO    THE    BONE         71 

you  know.  Oh,  well  —  yes,  there  is  a  fiction:  Judge 
Adair's  first  wife  —  Mollie  Calhoun  —  was  my  step 
mother's  sister;  you  can  work  out  the  consanguinity  at 
your  leisure." 

Falls  had  thrust  the  little  letter  into  his  inside  pocket; 
his  grave  eyes  as  he  looked  down  upon  Watson  were  a 
trifle  warmer  than  they  were  wont  to  be.  "  I  cannot  tell 
you,  Hugh,  how  much  I  value  this  proof  of  Miss  Adair's 
interest  in  a  stranger.  Barring  your  own,  it  is,  I  think, 
the  first  bit  of  thoughtful  kindness  that  I  have  received 
since  I  came  to  live  in  Alabama." 

There  was  no  resentment  in  his  tone,  a  quiet  state 
ment  of  a  fact,  that  was  all;  and  Hugh  found  himself 
wondering,  as  Joan  had  done,  how  much  Falls  knew  of 
the  feeling  toward  him  in  the  town,  and  how  far  he  cared. 

"  Miss  Adair  mentioned  negro  equality ;  what  did  she 
mean  ?  "  asked  Falls,  his  eyes  narrowing  sternly. 

Watson  evaded  the  issue,  cleverly :  "  Do  you  go  into 
politics  at  all,  Falls?" 

"  Very  slightly ;  have  politics  to  do  with  her  note  ?  " 

"  It  touches  it  at  one  point,  yes.  As  a  Eepublican,  you 
know,  Falls,  you  are  up  against  one  of  the  holiest  tenets 
in  the  Democratic  creed !  " 

"How  does  it  read,  this  creed?" 

"  Ah,  well,"  murmured  Hugh  complacently,  "  I  don't 
mind  doing  a  little  proselyting  now  and  then,  for  the 
political  '  Lost  Cause ' !  " 

He  joined  his  scholarly  white  hands  behind  his  head 
and,  lying  back  in  his  chair,  recited  with  solemn  fervor: 
"  I  believe  in  one  Thomas  Jefferson,  the  Maker  and  Giver 
of  Democracy;  and  in  all  things  visible  and  invisible 
which  tend  to  the  maintenance  of  his  stultifying  policies 


72  THE   NORTHERNER 

and  principles.  I  believe  in  the  supremacy  of  the  Cau 
casian  race,  and  in  the  divine  right  of  the  Democratic 
party  to  disfranchise  the  negro.  I  believe  that  all  Ke- 
publicans  desire  to  establish  the  equality  of  the  races.  I 
look  for  the  resurrection  of  Democracy  and  the  rescinding 
of  the  fifteenth  amendment.  Amen." 

Falls  grinned  his  appreciation  of  Hugh's  cynicism  wit  a 
a  flash  of  white  teeth  that  lighted  up  his  grave  face  with 
sudden  boyishness.  "  When  your  Democratic  constituency 
gets  ready  to  hang  you,  Hugh,  out  there  in  the  court-house 
yard,  I  '11  be  on  hand  to  cut  you  down ! " 

He  laughed  as  he  ran  down  the  steps  to  the  street 
on  his  way  to  Hallett's  office. 


VI 

"IS    HE    NOT   A   MAN   AND   A   BROTHER?" 

HALLETT  was  not  in  his  offices  when  Falls  reached 
them,  and  he  put  the  papers  into  his  pocket  with 
a  scornful  glance  about  Hallett's  too  luxurious  quarters. 

As  he  emerged  from  Hallett's  doorway  he  saw  his  car 
in  the  distance  and  crossed  the  street  to  await  it.  He 
noted  indifferently  that  some  event  of  more  than  usual 
interest  appeared  to  he  animating  the  streets. 

"  A  circus/'  Falls  muttered,  "  or  a  baptizing !  "  Yet 
it  struck  him  at  the  moment  that  the  aspect  of  the  crowd 
which  filled  the  streets  differentiated  it  from  any  which 
he  had  yet  seen ;  the  groups  about  the  corners  and  crowd 
ing  the  pavement  in  front  of  the  hotel  were  for  the  most 
part  silent,  expectant;  men  constantly  arrived  from  de 
serted  shops  and  offices,  joined  the  shifting  stream,  asked 
a  question,  squared  themselves  toward  the  open  street,  and 
took  on  the  expectant  attitude  of  the  others. 

"What  the  devil  are  they  at?"  Falls  wondered  curi 
ously,  but  his  car  was  close  upon  him  and  he  turned  to 
meet  it,  and  as  he  did  so  perceived  that  it  bore  the  colored 
motonnan,  Will-Henry,  whose  selection  for  the  post  had 
raised  the  temperature  of  the  town  to  boiling  point. 

Something  —  it  may  have  been  the  bracing  winter  air, 
or  the  stiff  folds  of  the  little  note  which  Falls  could  feel 

73 


74  THE    NORTHERNER 

with  every  breath  he  drew,  against  his  bosom  —  some 
thing  had  raised  Falls's  spirits ;  the  worried  line  his 
brow  had  worn  for  days  had  disappeared;  and  for  the 
first  time  he  was  inclined  to  see  the  undoubted  humor 
of  the  situation,  resulting  from  his  innocent  blunder,  and 
the  commotion  it  had  caused  in  the  town. 

He  noted  with  keen  amusement  the  air  of  importance 
with  which  the  negro  was  bringing  the  car  along  the  track, 
with  a  glance  to  right  and  left,  whose  childlike  fatuousness 
seemed  to  claim  the  earth  as  a  stage  for  the  exhibition  of 
his  supreme  importance. 

Will-Henry  was  a  slight,  well-made  negro  of  thirty-five, 
perhaps;  a  tan-colored  mulatto,  with  the  suavely  in 
gratiating  manners  of  his  type.  He  had  been  a  porter  at 
the  hotel  where  Falls  lived,  and  was  very  much  of  a 
favorite  with  every  one  about  the  place. 

He  had  approached  Falls  soon  after  he  arrived  at  the 
hotel  with  a  wide  grin  of  friendliness  and  the  genial  in 
quiry,  "Doan't  you  want  me  fur  yo'  nigger,  Mist'r 
Falls?" 

"I  don't  need  a  valet,  thank  you,  Will,"  Falls  had 
told  him. 

Nothing  daunted  by  Falls's  refusal,  Will-Henry  had 
serenely  assumed  charge  of  him,  jealously  guarding  him 
from  the  approach  of  any  other  aspirant  for  the  position 
which  he  had  decided  to  fill;  and,  as  time  passed,  he 
became,  without  dispute  or  comment,  "  Mist'r  Falls's 
nigger." 

Falls  looked  at  him,  now,  with  a  pleasant  smile  of 
liking  as  the  car  came  down  the  wind.  Will-Henry  stood 
haughtily  erect,  his  new  uniform  very  fresh  and  natty, 
bis  cap  set  jauntily  upon  one  side,  gratified  vanity  radiating 


"A   MAN  AND  A  BROTHER"      75 

from  every  pore  of  his  vacant,  good-natured  face.  Some 
one  hailed  him  upon  the  corner  above  Falls,  and  he 
brought  the  car  up  with  as  much  of  a  swagger  as  it  could 
be  made  to  yield ! 

Several  men  boarded  the  car  at  the  rear;  there  was 
laughing,  and  shoving,  then  a  sudden  commotion  that 
caused  Falls  to  raise  his  head  alertly,  but  he  was  a  block 
away,  and  the  negro  made  no  sign;  he  did  not  even  turn 
his  head  toward  his  unruly  passengers,  but  gave  his  at 
tention  to  his  work.  Falls  saw  him  as  he  loosed  the  lever, 
and  at  the  same  instant  a  dozen  men  stepped  upon  the 
platform  and  snatched  the  bar  from  his  hand.  With  a 
sudden  premonition  of  what  it  meant  Falls  started  toward 
the  car  with  long  strides.  But  he  saw  he  would  be  too 
late.  A  dozen  hands  grasped  the  struggling  negro  and 
bore  him  backward  into  the  car.  Falls  caught  a  confused 
vision  of  struggling  forms,  of  tossing  arms,  of  men's  heads 
and  hats.  There  was  a  roar  of  cheers  and  laughter  from 
the  packed  sidewalks,  as  Will-Henry's  form,  in  the  jaunty 
uniform,  shot  from  the  rear  of  the  car  and  struck  the 
ground  a  dozen  yards  away,  rolling  over  and  over  amid 
the  loose  gravel  and  sand  of  the  road-bed. 

The  car  had  been  brought  to  a  stand  upon  the  crest  of 
a  steep  incline,  and  under  the  impetus  of  the  sling  which 
had  sent  the  negro  off,  as  well  as  the  rush  of  the  men 
who  left  it  in  a  scramble  for  the  pavements,  it  moved 
gently  forward,  gaining  headway  every  second  as  it  ad 
vanced  toward  Falls. 

It  took  him  a  few  seconds  to  reverse  it,  and  as  the 
terrified  negro,  now  upon  his  feet  mopping  the  dirt  from 
his  face,  which  was  cut  and  bleeding,  saw  the  car  move 
slowly  in  his  direction,  he  gave  one  scream  of  terror,  and, 


76  THE    NORTHERNER 

snatching  his  cap  from  his  head,  ran  for  his  life,  straight 
up  the  track!  He  was  followed  by  a  continuous  roar  of 
laughter,  by  cheers,  hooting,  and  whistling  from  the 
crowded  streets,  that  seemed  to  lend  wings  to  his  heels  as 
he  fled  blindly  up  the  steep  hill,  straining  to  outrun  the 
car  which  Falls  was  taking  slowly  up  the  track  almost 
at  the  frightened  creature's  heels,  calling  to  him  to 
stop. 

In  vain !  Will-Henry  sped  on,  panting,  desperate,  until 
with  an  inspiration  of  insane  terror  he  doubled  madly 
back,  slipped  upon  the  rail,  and  went  down  almost  under 
the  wheels. 

Falls  stopped  the  car  short,  leaped  down,  and,  dragging 
him  to  his  feet,  shook  him,  as  a  terrier  would  shake  a  rat, 
in  keen  exasperation. 

"  You  blasted  idiot !  I  came  within  an  ace  of  killing 
you.  Get  back  on  your  car !  " 

But  Will-Henry  was  past  getting  back,  past  doing  any 
thing  but  to  grovel  amid  the  sand  and  gravel  at  Falls's 
feet,  a  pitiful,  abject  creature. 

"Gawd  A'mighty,  Mist'r  Falls,"  he  gasped  in  the  ex 
tremity  of  his  terror,  "lem'me  go,  sah!  Doan't  put  me 
back  on  that  ar  car  no  mo',  sah!  I  'd  ur  sight  ruther 
black  boots.  I  —  I  '11  run  arrands !  I  '11  do  anything, 
ruther  'n  be  hung  up  by  ur  mob ! " 

He  cringed  under  Falls's  hand  like  a  beaten  hound,  and 
Falls  shook  him  again  fiercely. 

"  Get  back !  You  're  going  to  run  this  car  through 
those  cursed  ruffians  if  I  have  to  kill  you  to  make  you 
do  it!" 

"  Lem'me  go ! "  he  wailed.  "  I  ain't  nuthen  but  ur  nig 
ger—  " 


"A  MAN  AND  A  BROTHER"      77 

"You  are/'  said  Falls  in  grim  disgust,  "you  are  the 
damnedest  coward  I  ever  saw !  Get  back  on  the  car !  " 

He  thrust  him  upon  the  platform,  and,  still  grasping 
him  firmly,  took  him  through  the  car  and  bade  him  take 
hold. 

"  Gawd,  Mist'r  Falls,  dey  '11  hang  me  shore  's  I  'm 
bawnded ! "  he  almost  wept ;  but  Falls  was  relentless. 

"  I  '11  shake  the  life  out  of  you  if  you  don't  stand  up 
there  and  run  this  car  as  I  tell  you!  You  infernal 
cur!" 

Falls  was  standing  beside  the  trembling  negro,  who  had 
scarcely  strength  to  handle  the  lever,  as  the  car  came 
smoothly  on  down  the  steep  hill  toward  the  corner  where 
the  silent  throngs  packed  the  street  from  the  buildings 
to  the  tracks  on  either  side.  Not  a  sound  broke  the 
silence  but  the  rumble  of  the  car;  there  were  no  cheers, 
no  laughter;  a  grim  malignity  of  hate  held  the  spectators 
rigid,  with  hostile  eyes  on  Falls  and  the  miserable  Will- 
Henry,  who  fairly  swooned  as  he  stood. 

Falls  was  smoking.  His  soft  hat,  thrust  back  in  his 
struggle  with  the  negro,  showed  his  grave  face  to  the 
crowds  which  pressed  upon  the  tracks,  almost  brushing  the 
wheels;  his  eyes  were  narrowed  against  the  smoke  of  his 
cigar  which  the  motion  of  the  car  blew  backward,  and 
not  a  line  of  his  cold  face  altered  as  he  faced  the  ominous 
quiet  of  that  waiting  mob. 

The  car  reached  the  crossing  where  it  had  been  stopped 
before,  and  a  gentleman  stepped  quietly  from  the  crowd 
and  raised  his  hand  to  hail  it  as  coolly  as  if  the  street 
had  been  empty.  Falls  slowed  the  car  down,  and  Watson 
stepped  on  board,  with  his  customary  stumble.  He  came 
on  through  the  car  to  the  forward  platform,  and  stand- 


78  THE    NORTHERNER 

ing  behind  Falls  —  between  him  and  the  street  —  put  his 
long  arm  about  his  shoulders,  looking  into  his  eyes  with 
his  own  full  of  laughter  and  quizzical  admiration. 

"  You  old  sand-pump !  "  he  murmured. 

Falls  answered  the  pressure  of  his  arm  upon  his  shoul 
der  with  a  smile  of  fine  irony,  but  he  did  not  speak,  and 
neither  he  nor  Hugh  turned  a  glance  upon  the  menacing 
crowds,  whose  hostile  eyes  were  fixed  upon  Watson  in 
thwarted  anger,  as  the  car  rolled  on  unmolested.  It  made 
the  return  trip  still  carrying  the  three,  Falls  grimly 
silent,  Watson's  arm  still  about  his  neck,  and  the  abject 
Will-Henry  clinging  to  the  handle-bar.  The  streets  slowly 
emptied  of  the  throngs  of  spectators,  and  presently  Falls 
got  off  the  car  at  his  office. 

"  I  think,"  said  Falls,  quietly,  "  I  think  I  will  let  Pope 
go,  he  is  not  much  good,  and  keep  Will-Henry  on  for  a 
spell." 

"  Aye,"  said  Watson,  grimly ;  "  but  if  you  keep  Will- 
Henry  you  '11  have  to  chain  him  to  the  platform !  Do  you 
know  that  cane-brake  out  Lintonia  way,  Falls  ?  Well,  send 
out  there  for  your  car  in  an  hour  or  two;  that  's  where 
Will-Henry  will  jump  her !  Billy  is  a  cane-brake  nigger ; 
he  '11  take  to  the  sticks  like  a  duck  to  water  when  he  's 
scared  —  won't  you,  Will-Henry  ?  " 

"  Naw,  sah !  " 

"You  liar,"  said  Watson,  pleasantly,  and  from  the 
wreck  of  his  prideful  post  of  one  short  hour  ago,  Will- 
Henry  fished  up  a  melancholy  grin. 

As   Falls   was   crossing  the   court-house  yard  he   en 
countered  Hallett,  and,  remembering  the  papers,  turned 
him  to  a  seat  under  the  big  water-oak  in  the  center 


"A   MAN   AND    A    BROTHER"     79 

of  the  square.  As  they  neared  the  tree  some  one  glided 
around  it  and  away. 

"Are  we  driving  some  one  off?"  asked  Falls,  hesi 
tating. 

"  It  was  only  a  colored  girl,  and  she  has  gone/' 

"  It  seems  to  me,  Hallett,"  said  Falls,  "  that  your  local 
color  is  not  so  deep  as  you  would  have  us  believe;  I 
notice  that  you  never  say  *  nigger '  like  the  other  natives !  " 

"  There  was  no  occasion  to  say  it  here/'  replied  Hallett, 
with  rather  more  of  a  rasp  in  his  even  tones  than  Falls 
had  expected  to  bring  there ;  "  that  was  not  a  —  a  negro ; 
that  was  Rosebud,  —  Miss  Archer's  Rosebud." 

" This  Rosebud,"  said  Falls,  meditatively,  —  "I  sup 
pose  there  is  a  parent  bush  somewhere  to  have  produced 
so  sturdy  a  blossom  ?  —  Since  special  creations  are  out  of 
date?" 

"  The  bush  that  produced  that  rosebud  has  its  roots 
in  some  of  the  best  soil  in  Dixie,  or  I  am  much  mistaken ! 
But  it  would  be  dangerous  work  to  go  grubbing  for 
them." 

"  I  have  not  much  turn  for  grubbing,"  said  Falls,  care 
lessly,  "  and  I  learned  long  ago  that,  by  the  time  you 
get  down  to  the  roots,  men  are  alike  the  world  over." 

"  Aye  — "  assented  Hallett,  cynically,  and  the  subject 
dropped.  The  papers  were  taken  up,  gone  into,  disposed 
of,  and  Falls  was  in  the  act  of  tying  the  packet  when 
Hallett  stooped  and,  picking  a  paper  from  the  grass, 
silently  proffered  it  to  Falls,  who  mechanically  included 
it  in  the  packet  on  his  knee.  He  slipped  the  tape 
under  the  packet  without  disturbing  its  compact  form, 
and  was  drawing  it  taut,  when  the  paper  which  Hallett 
had  placed  upon  the  top  arrested  his  attention;  though 


8o  THE    NORTHERNER 

it  agreed  in  shape,  it  had  not  the  appearance  of  a  legal 
paper,  nor  was  it  endorsed,  the  only  writing  showing  upon 
the  outside  being  a  line  of  writing  parallel  with  the  fold. 

He  bent  closer,  still  holding  the  tape  taut,  and  read  in 
the  same  clear,  small  writing  in  which  the  papers  were 
endorsed,  the  two  words,  "  Your  father,"  written  as  the 
signature  of  a  letter  is  written. 

"  What  is  that  ? "  asked  Hallett,  and  without  waiting 
for  a  reply  plucked  it  nimbly  from  the  packet  and 
opened  it. 

"  Where  did  this  come  from  ?  "  he  asked  carelessly. 

"  You  handed  it  to  me  by  mistake ;  it  seems  to  be  one 
of  your  private  papers." 

In  the  midst  of  his  absorption  Hallett  found  time  to 
glance  aside  at  his  companion  with  incredulous  scorn. 

"  Nixie  —  my  private  papers !  "  he  retorted  briefly ; 
"  when  you  catch  one  lying  about  let  me  know,  will 

you?" 

"  Sure,"  said  Falls,  calmly,  returning  to  his  own  packet, 
"  that  is  what  I  should  naturally  do !  " 

He  was  still  busy  with  the  papers  on  his  knee  when 
something,  some  inexplicable  change  in  Hallett,  arrested 
him.  It  was  like  the  sudden  stiffening  of  a  game  dog 
when  he  scents  a  covey.  He  did  not  speak  or  move,  but 
he  grew  rigid  as  he  sat,  and  the  paper  in  his  hand  slightly 
rustled. 

Falls's  strong  eyes  saw  that  it  was  covered  with  the 
same  small,  clear  writing  set  close  together  in  a  way  he 
seemed  to  know,  the  lines  short,  leaving  a  wide  margin 
on  the  page. 

A  sudden  qualm  passed  through  him.  Whose  writing 
this  ?  What  hidden  meaning  was  there  in  this  simple 


"A  MAN  AND  A  BROTHER"      81 

sheet,  which  had  dashed  the  clear  red  from  Hallett's  hand 
some  face? 

Leaning  forward  in  his  seat,  Falls  read  with  Hallett  in 
the  fast  waning  light,  in  Watson's  unmistakable  writing, 
what  seemed  to  be  a  letter. 


"Mr  CHILD:  —  You  will  find  herein  instructions  for  your 
journey,  with  a  list  of  your  probable  expenses,  together  with 
such  advice,  as  to  your  future,  as  I  am  able  to  offer. 

"  I  have  made  every  arrangement  to  ensure  your  safety  and 
comfort ;  I  do  not  say  happiness,  for  that  lies  not  in  my  power, 
Rosebud,  and  it  may  be  not  in  your  own.  But  I  have  met  every 
condition  which  in  my  judgment  will  lead  to  contentment  for 
you  in  the  present.  I  believe  you  to  be  a  good  girl,  in  spite  of 
this  folly  for  which  I  am  sending  you  away  from  this  place. 
There  will  come  a  day,  quickly  too,  when  you  will  see  that,  in 
putting  you  beyond  the  temptations  of  your  present  associations, 
I  am  saving  you  from  a  fate  of  which  you  can  have  no  concep 
tion. 

"  In  this  new  life  which  I  have  mapped  out  for  you,  you  will 
find  contentment  and  independence.  I  wish  you  to  remember 
that  I  recognize  your  claim  upon  me  in  the  present  and  in  the 
future,  as  in  the  past ;  my  part  of  our  agreement  will  be  kept 
to  the  letter,  and  I  shall  expect  you  on  your  part  to  meet  the 
conditions  fully.  I  repeat  them  here  to  impress  them  more 
firmly  upon  you;  remember,  Rosebud,  what  they  are  ! 

"  You  will  never  return  south  of  the  Ohio  River  without  my 
permission;  you  will  never  seek  to  communicate  with  me  or  any 
member  of  my  family,  and  you  will  hold  no  communication  with 
this  man  whose  name  I  need  not  mention,  neither  in  Adairville  nor 
at  any  other  place.  All  is  now  said  that  needs  to  be  said  between 
us.  May  God  bless  you,  and  show  me  further  and  always  my 
duty  to  you. 

"YouB  FATHER." 


82  THE    NORTHERNER 

Falls  leaned  back  in  the  corner  of  the  bench;  it  was 
quite  dark  in  the  shadow  of  the  tree,  but  outside  the  light 
still  lingered.  Neither  he  nor  Hallett  spoke.  The  gloom 
hid  Hallett's  face  from  Falls.  It  was  black  with  sullen 
rage,  the  lower  lip  held  between  his  teeth  in  savage  tension. 

Falls  lighted  a  cigar  with  mechanical  precision,  watch 
ing  the  flame  creep  up  the  stump  until  it  reached  his 
fingers.  He  did  not  look  at  Hallett,  but  pointed  across 
the  square  to  where  a  girl's  light  figure  flitted  hither  and 
thither,  with  uncertain  movement,  as  of  one  who  seeks 
for  some  object  upon  the  ground. 

"  She  is  coming  for  her  letter,"  he  said. 

Hallett  started  up.  "  I  will  take  it  to  her,"  he  said, 
and,  rising,  went  toward  Eosebud.  Falls  saw  him  meet 
her,  linger  a  moment  in  talk,  and  pass  on.  Rosebud  hur 
ried  away,  but  Falls  sat  on  and  on,  in  the  darkening 
square. 

An  hour  had  passed  ere  he  roused  himself  as  from  a 
sleep,  and  he  must  have  been  asleep  and  dreaming;  for 
a  tiny  piccaninny,  stealing  near  to  get  the  cigar  Hallett 
had  left  upon  the  seat,  started  back  and  stood  trembling 
while  the  big  white  man  stretched  himself  and  said  out 
loud: 

"  God !  Our  pleasant  vices !  What  whips  they  are  to 
scourge  us ! " 

The  piccaninny  waited  for  no  more,  but  incontinently 
fled.  The  white  man's  talk  in  his  sleep  bore  a  suspicious 
resemblance  to  mammy's  waking  accents.  True,  she  called 
it  "  whup  "  —  but  the  piccaninny  knew ! 


VII 


IN   THE   PRIMROSE   PATH 

ANIGHT  or  two  after  the  street-car  episode,  Falls 
found  himself  facing  the  keen  cold  of  the  winter 
evening,  on  the  long  walk  to  Judge  Adair's  house  on 
the  hilltop.  As  he  swung  strongly  along,  his  teeth  hard 
on  his  cigar,  his  eyes  narrowed  against  the  biting  wind, 
a  smile  that  was  half-tender,  half-ironical,  quivered  on 
his  lips. 

He  was  thinking  out  this  new  situation,  as  he  walked, 
—  it  was  time  to  do  so,  he  had  decided,  —  and  he  took  it 
up,  as  he  would  have  taken  up  any  other  problem  of  life 
or  business,  sanely  and  bravely. 

Falls's  life  had  always  been  a  busy  one,  full  to  over 
flowing  of  work,  of  strenuous  enterprise;  he  had  breathed 
always  the  stimulating  ozone  of  action.  There  had  never 
been  a  time  since  his  boyhood,  when  to  pause,  to  dally, 
to  smile  upon  a  face  no  matter  how  fair,  but  would  have 
meant  to  loosen,  in  a  measure,  his  close,  wrestler's  grip 
on  life.  Yet,  with  that  grip  unrelaxed,  with  his  muscles 
taut  in  the  fight,  he  had  found  time  to  dream  of  the  prim 
rose  path  of  love.  He  realized  now,  as  he  swung  along 
through  the  frosted  brilliance  of  the  winter  night,  that 
the  turning  in  the  path  had  been  made. 

"I  'm  done  with  pretense,"  he  told  himself.  "I  'm. 

83 


84  THE    NORTHERNER 

done  playing  the  churl  and  the  coward!  I  love  Joan  — 
love  her!  And  if  the  ghost  of  every  rebel  that  fell  in 
that  insane  struggle  should  rise  from  where  he  sleeps  to 
keep  her  from  me,  I  should  fight  my  way  naked-handed 
to  her,  and  make  her  tell  me  with  her  own  lips  that  she 
does  not  love  me,  or  that  she  does !  "  And  a  warm,  virile 
gladness  filled  Falls  that  his  love  had  come  to  him  in 
his  strong  maturity  and  not  in  his  callow  youth. 

The  world  knew  Falls  as  cold,  self-contained,  and  he 
had  acquiesced  in  its  verdict,  carelessly;  but  he  could 
have  laughed  aloud  at  the  swift  breaking  up  of  those  polar 
snows  about  his  heart  before  the  warm  flood  which  was 
pouring  through  every  fiber  of  his  being. 

He  was  not  thinking  definitely  of  Joan,  as  every  step 
bore  him  toward  her;  he  was  adjusting  himself  to  the 
wonderful  phase  through  which  he  was  passing;  was  get 
ting  his  bearings,  thinking  out  the  situation  in  its  varied 
aspects.  He  was  conscious  of  Joan  only  as  the  spark 
which  had  made  vital  this  whole  exquisite  scheme  of  things. 
Heretofore,  when  he  had  thought  of  her,  it  had  been  in 
detail:  of  her  rough,  bright  hair  against  the  cream  of 
her  throat;  of  the  curve  of  her  frank  mouth;  the  warm, 
magnetic  glance  of  her  gray  eyes;  the  rise  and  fall  of 
her  soft  bosom.  And  she  had  interpreted  woman  to  him. 
Now  she  spelled  life  and  love;  she  was  the  definition  of 
his  present,  the  index  to  his  future. 

He  roused  himself  resolutely,  after  a  moment  of  this 
yielding,  and  took  up  with  his  clear  reasonableness  the 
question  of  his  love,  his  hope  of  winning  Joan,  from  the 
aspect  of  his  relationship  to  the  town  —  his  position  and 
prospects  there;  which  meant  to  him,  in  this  new  possi 
bility,  so  much  more  than  it  had  ever  meant  before. 


IN    THE    PRIMROSE    PATH        85 

"  Confound  Adairville ! "  he  said  by  way  of  preamble, 
and  bent  his  mind  to  the  solution  of  the  problem  which 
had  taxed  Hallett's  politic  astuteness  to  elucidate  to  the 
stockholders  of  the  old  Power  and  Passenger  Company. 

For  weeks  Falls  had  been  conscious  of  a  change  about 
him.  For  weeks  he  had  been  groping  his  way  through 
the  familiar  routine  of  his  life  amid  a  chilling  mist,  which 
faded  before  reason  and  common  sense  only  to  close  upon 
him  from  another  side.  In  the  club,  at  his  hotel,  upon 
the  streets,  in  his  own  yards  and  barns  and  among  his 
employees,  this  impalpable  thing  was  between  him  and 
others ;  it  chilled  men's  glances  in  the  act  of  meeting  his ; 
it  lay  upon  casual  faces  like  a  scowl;  it  spoke  in  voices 
which  uttered  civil  words;  it  showed  itself  in  the  lurch 
of  slow-moving  workmen  who  dared  not  disobey. 

From  her  note  to  Watson  he  perceived  that  Joan  had 
full  knowledge,  which  she  shared  with  Hugh,  of  this 
elusive  something  which  he,  himself,  could  not  grasp  in 
his  relation  to  the  town.  The  very  writing  of  the  note, 
as  Falls  saw  it  now,  implied  a  knowledge  of  something 
regarding  him  of  which  he  himself  knew  nothing. 

Since  the  finding  of  Eosebud's  letter,  which  had  cast 
so  black  a  shadow  upon  Hugh's  own  past,  Falls  had 
avoided  even  the  slightest  allusion  to  the  absurd  charge 
referred  to  in  Joan's  note  as  to  negro  equality;  but  he 
had  brooded  over  it  with  amazed  indignation  that  was 
not  without  its  note  of  grim  humor. 

"  Negro  equality  —  the  devil !  "  he  mused.  "  What 
name,  if  it  may  please  them,  do  they  give  their  own  — 
affiliations?  Pah!" 

The  second  clue  had  been  given  him  by  the  attitude 
of  the  men  whom  he  met  in  business,  and  socially,  at  the 


86  THE    NORTHERNER 

club  and  hotel.  Falls  was  conscious,  after  the  street-car 
incident,  that  these  men  watched  him,  the  gentlemen 
covertly,  the  rougher  men  openly,  for  some  sign ;  and  when, 
the  cold  serenity  of  his  usual  manner  failed  to  betray 
even  his  consciousness  of  their  scrutiny,  the  passive  cold 
ness  of  the  gentlemen  took  on  a  cutting  edge  of  rancor, 
and  the  elaborate,  ostentatious  avoidance  of  him  grew 
daily  more  and  more  personal. 

In  this  long,  starlit  walk  in  the  keen  open  air,  Falls  was, 
for  the  first  time,  deliberately  threshing  this  thing  out 
to  its  ultimate  conclusion.  He  threw  up  his  head,  as  he 
walked,  in  an  indignant  protest  against  the  whole  affair, 
the  puzzling  uncertainty,  the  injustice  —  and  then  stopped 
short  in  the  dark  path  with  a  laugh  of  grim  helplessness. 

"  Let  us  go  over  the  counts  in  the  indictment  and  see 
if  I  can  grasp  the  thing  from  their  own  point  of  view. 
Well,  then,  first,  I  am  a  Yankee;  guilty  on  that  count. 
And  so  is  Hallett,  but  never  mind.  Second,  I  am  a 
Republican;  guilty  on  that  count,  also.  I  believe  in 
negro  equality?  Not  guilty,  and  not  a  shred  of  proof 
to  sustain  them.  It  is  preposterous  —  damnable !  I 
live  an  open  life  here  —  no  man  in  the  place  is  more  in 
evidence.  That,  then,  is  an  absurdity;  it  is  more,  it  is 
a  stalking-horse  for  something  else.  What?  That  '&  the 
crux  of  the  whole.  For  heaven's  sake,  what  are  they  driv 
ing  at?" 

He  paused  by  the  gate  at  Hillcrest,  looking  blankly  off 
into  the  night. 

"Does  Hugh  know?     Does  Joan?" 

As  he  turned  from  that  long  gaze  across  the  valley,  and 
clicked  the  gate  to  behind  him,  Joan  stood  at  his  elbow. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Falls  ?  "  she  said  with  the  same 


IN    THE    PRIMROSE    PATH        87 

warm  note  of  comradeship,  the  same  bewitching  mantle 
of  delicious  matter-of-factness  about  her  that  she  had 
worn  when  Falls  had  met  her  first. 

"  I  came  down  with  father  —  and  then  I  waited  for 
you.  Father  decided  at  the  last  minute  to  go  to  his  office, 
where  he  can  have  his  stenographer.  Come  in  to  the  fire !  " 

She  offered  him  a  chill  little  hand  and  turned  toward 
the  house.  Falls  drew  the  hand  she  had  given  him  silently 
to  his  arm,  and  together  they  walked  toward  the  house, 
their  steps  ringing  sharply  upon  the  hard,  packed  sand 
of  the  walks. 

"  Which  one  of  your  gods  were  you  invoking,  Mr.  Falls, 
in  that  trancelike  gaze  across  the  valley?"  asked  Joan, 
lightly. 

Falls  started.    "  It  was  a  goddess,"  he  said  simply. 

Joan  broke  into  a  delicious  laugh.  "You  did  well  to 
invoke  her  outside  of  the  gate !  I  do  not  allow  any  stray 
goddesses  trespassing  upon  my  preserves;  I  am  an  un 
scrupulous  monopolist ! " 

It  was  a  charming  room  into  which  she  ushered  him; 
and  to  Falls,  who  had  never  known  a  home  even  of  the 
simplest,  inexpressibly  charming.  Joan  led  him  about, 
telling  him  of  the  battle  she  had  waged,  before  the  stately 
dignity  of  the  old-fashioned  room  had  yielded  to  her 
vandalism  in  the  way  of  rose-colored  pillows;  giddy  little 
tables  which  held  nothing,  and  were  not  made  to  hold 
anything,  and  would  not  have  known  how  to  hold  any 
thing  had  they  been  unexpectedly  requested  to  do  so; 
big,  soft  chairs  shamelessly  comfortable,  and  how  the  old- 
time  furniture  had  worn  an  air  of  such  scorn,  and  made 
everything  so  uncomfortable  with  its  superior  airs,  and 
had  so  oppressed  the  new  things  with  a  sense  of  being 


88  THE    NORTHERNER 

vulgar  interlopers,  that  she  had  at  last  given  up  any  hope 
of  their  ever  becoming  reconciled  to  each  other  and  had 
banished  the  old  furniture  to  the  garret. 

"Where  it  can  sulk  all  it  likes  and  make  no  one  un 
comfortable,"  she  wound  up. 

Falls  followed  her  back  to  the  hearth  at  last,  silently,  as 
he  had  been  following  her  about  the  room,  conscious  that 
she  was  finding  him  distinctly  difficult,  but  powerless  to 
break  the  spell  that  held  him.  He  seemed  to  be  breathing 
the  south  wind,  charged  with  the  perfume  of  the  white 
star  jasmime,  piquant  and  heady,  and  it  quickened  the 
pace  of  life  to  where  speech  seemed  a  puerile  encum 
brance. 

And  Joan  was  finding  him  difficult.  The  more  so,  that 
with  this  strange,  new  divination  she  was  able  to  read  his 
mood  —  nay,  to  feel  a  dangerous  kinship  to  it! 

She  thought  regretfully  of  her  childish  privilege,  when 
she  might  draw  a  stool  in  front  of  a  favored  guest,  and, 
propping  her  rosy  chin  upon  her  palm,  simply  and  frankly 
stare,  and  stare  —  until  she  had  dreamed  out  her  dreams. 

Falls's  austere  personality,  his  lonely  life,  had  touched 
her  imagination,  piqued  her  interest;  she  was  conscious 
of  a  keen,  intellectual  curiosity  regarding  this  new  tremu- 
lousness  which  seized  her  at  the  touch  of  his  firm  hand, 
the  glance  of  his  grave  eyes.  With  an  innocent  adroitness 
she  seated  Falls,  as  one  forces  a  card  upon  a  trusting 
victim,  just  where  the  only  light  in  the  dusky  room  fell 
upon  him,  seating  herself  opposite,  with  only  the  red  glow 
of  the  hearth  to  show  Falls  a  dim  picture  of  her  in  the 
low  cane  chair. 

Other  men  had  sat  thus  under  that  clear-eyed  scrutiny, 
had  been  appreciated  —  admired  —  and  each  had  gone  his 


IN    THE    PRIMROSE   PATH        89 

way,  safe  from  enchantment,  leaving  it  to  Falls  and  fate 
to  bring  into  those  clear  eyes  the  softness  which  had  turned 
them  from  stars  to  violets. 

How  strong  he  was,  and  how  calm!  How  —  hand 
some?  Yes,  with  his  cold  face  thus  relaxed  and  dream 
ing,  Falls  had  a  virile  beauty  she  had  not  dreamed  he 
possessed;  she  had  thought  him  plain  looking,  though 
she  admired  his  forcefulness. 

After  a  while  he  roused  himself  and,  smiling,  turned  full 
toward  her  with  a  laughing  consciousness  of  her  critical 
examination  of  him,  and  began  to  talk  to  her  of  his  work, 
his  impressions  of  Adairville,  his  acquaintances  at  the 
hotel  —  all  with  a  genial  cleverness,  without  a  shade  of 
bitterness,  yet  streaked  with  an  acrid  humor  that  made 
the  girl  wince. 

When  Falls  rose  to  go  Joan  walked  with  him  to  the 
hall,  to  Falls's  secret  surprise.  As  she  stood  beside  him, 
while  he  got  his  coat,  he  wondered  if  this  sweet  attend 
ance  was  a  part  of  what  he  had  come  to  call  bitterly  "  the 
program." 

She  paused  upon  the  threshold  to  give  him  her  hand, 
and  the  question  slipped  from  his  lips: 

"  Do  you  go  to  the  door  with  other  men  —  other  callers, 
I  mean  ?  " 

This  was  not  an  occasion  for  the  exercise  of  what  Hugh 
called  Joan's  "  man-sense."  Her  feminine  wits  were  quite 
sufficient  to  divine  the  wistful  jealousy  that  underlay 
Falls's  deliberation. 

"Yes,"  she  told  him  inexorably,  "that  is  —  nearly  all 
of  them.  Father  sees  his  own  company  out,  but  my  own 
callers  —  why,  yes,  I  do !  But  —  "  Falls's  big  simplicity 
made  coquetry  impossible,  unworthy  —  "but  it  is  only  a 


90  THE    NORTHERNER 

custom!  You  see,  in  old  times  there  were  servants  about 
to  attend  guests;  but  now"  —  a  little  laugh  escaped  her 
— "  Milly  Ann  has  her  own  young  man  to  look  after, 
I  have  n't  the  heart  to  expect  her  to  leave  him  to  look 
after  —  mine !  " 

"Oh,"  said  Falls,  "another  'old  Southern  custom'! 
When  shall  I  ever  have  mastered  them  all?" 

"  Don't  you  like  it  ? "  asked  Joan,  a  little  wistfulness 
in  her  own  voice. 

"  Like  it ! "  She  saw  that  he  did  not  affect  to  mis 
understand.  "  I  should  think  I  did  like  it !  Do  you 
know,  Miss  Adair,"  he  went  on  earnestly,  "  I  have  been 
to  all  sorts  of  places  where  men  go,  at  home  and  abroad, 
but  I  have  never  seen  any  place  that  for  sheer,  actual 
charm  —  the  charm  of  the  place,  you  know  —  can  touch 
Dixie!  It  takes  hold  of  a  man  like  a  possession!  If  I 
could  talk  poetry  like  Hallett,  I  should  tell  you  the  fancy 
I  've  had  about  the  place  ever  since  I  have  known  it: 
Dixie  lies  here  hidden  away  in  the  Appalachian  Mountains, 
like  a  very  Frau  Venus  of  lands,  drawing  men's  hearts 
to  her  and  filling  them  with  longing  —  unappeased  long 
ing!  Did  you  really  credit  me  with  the  bad  taste  not  to 
like  Dixie  ?  " 

Under  his  deep  gaze  Joan  faltered.  How  much  did  he 
know,  how  far  did  he  understand? 

"  I  thought,"  she  began  gently,  but  going  on  more 
firmly,  "  I  fancied  —  feared,  I  mean  —  that  you  did  not 
care  for  the  place  —  the  people;  and  I,  why,  I  regretted 
it  because  these  are  the  people  I  know  and  —  love ! "  she 
wound  up  desperately. 

Night's  velvet,  sweeping  round  them,  cut  them  off  from 
the  world.  Joan  seemed  wonderfully  near  to  him,  all 


IN    THE    PRIMROSE    PATH        91 

else  wonderfully  far  away  and  absolutely  futile.  Falls 
was  at  the  turning  of  that  way,  that  dim,  sweet  way  which 
had  always  heen  just  ahead;  here,  close  at  his  side,  was 
the  warm,  living  presence  whose  form  he  had  seen  so 
often  in  the  primrose  path  just  ahead. 

For  months  the  girl  had  been  so  near  in  thought  that 
no  barriers  remained  between  them.  Xot  a  rag  of  reserve 
hampered  him  as  he  told  her,  in  the  terse,  trenchant  speech 
of  his  every-day  life,  of  the  network  of  intangible  diffi 
culties  that  beset  him.  In  his  harsh  voice,  broken  by 
pauses  of  sheer  exasperation,  she  read  the  struggle  which 
he  had  made  against  a  foe  unknown,  uncomprehended ; 
worse  —  unassailable ! 

"  Antagonism  ?  "  he  cried.  "  Sure !  But  why  ?  In 
God's  name,  why  should  there  be  antagonism  to  me? 
Besides,  I  see  —  see  clearly  enough  now  —  they  must  have 
fought  the  syndicate  the  same  way!  That  would  explain 
their  willingness  to  sell.  The  Tennessee  Valley  Improve 
ment  sacrificed  the  plant,  you  know.  But  is  the  town  mad  ? 
Will  they  always  make  war  upon  enterprise  in  this  way? 
When  I  came  here  to  look  into  this  deal  everything  was 
so  fair,  so  plausible." 

Joan  stood  beside  him  in  silence.  How  was  she  to  in 
terpret  for  him,  how  far  dared  she  go?  Her  face,  as  she 
pondered,  grew  wonderfully  like  her  father's.  She  grasped 
the  points  in  Falls's  broken  recital,  full  as  it  was  of  terms 
which  she  but  vaguely  understood,  with  the  clear-headed 
acumen  that  so  delighted  the  old  statesman  and  lawyer, 
reading  each  hiatus  in  Falls's  broken  narrative  with  a 
woman's  intuitive  perception.  Joan  saw,  through  that 
marvelous  medium  which  holds  suspended  in  its  ethe- 
realized  solution  the  elements  of  both  reason  and  logic,  — 


92  THE    NORTHERNER 

but  which  operates  independently  of  either,  —  the  inward 
meaning  of  the  situation  so  meaningless  to  Falls.  But 
how  could  she  make  him  understand? 

"  Do  you  think,  Mr.  Falls,"  she  said  at  last,  haltingly, 
"do  you  think  there  is  an  organized  effort  to  break  you 
down  —  force  you  out  ?  " 

"  There  is  not  a  doubt  of  it !  "  with  a  short  laugh.  "  But 
who?  You  see,  Miss  Adair,  in  business,  motives  are  not 
at  all  complex;  shades  of  meaning  do  not  trouble  business 
men.  The  tape-line  which  we  apply  to  men's  motives,  in 
business,  has  on  it  but  one  word,  *  self-interest,'  and  it  is 
usually  ample  and  always  fits  —  always  until  this  case. 
Here  I  am  at  sea  because  I  have  lost  my  chart.  So  far 
as  I  can  see,  the  element  of  self-interest  does  not  enter 
here.  Suppose  I  fail  here,  who  would  be  benefited?  One 
of  two  things  would  happen:  I  should  be  forced  to  sell 
at  a  tremendous  sacrifice,  or  allow  the  plant  to  revert  to 
the  syndicate,  losing  all  I  had  put  in.  I  should  be  ruined 
—  that  's  easily  on  the  cards.  If  Adairville  was  a  man, 
as  I  am,  the  personal  equation  must  needs  be  reckoned 
with;  but  a  town  —  a  corporation  —  ?  It  is  impossible  to 
conceive  of  malice  toward  me,  with  the  thing ! " 

"  Have  you  seen  no  evidences  of  personal  malice  ?  " 

"  Plenty,"  he  said  shortly,  "  but  they  grew  out  of  this 
-— er  —  this  other  thing,  which  I  cannot  divine." 

"But  suppose,  Mr.  Falls,  just  suppose  that  a  home 
company  —  Adairville  men  —  were  to  organize  a  company 
of  their  own  with  local  capital,  local  interest  —  " 

"  I  see,"  said  Falls ;  "  it  would  be  a  good  scheme.  I 
have  wondered  it  has  not  been  done!  But  they  are  timid 
here  and,  forgive  me,  lazy !  The  climate,  I  suppose.  There 
really  seems  to  be  a  constitutional  inability  to  endure  the 


IN    THE    PRIMROSE    PATH        93 

long,  hard  strain  such  as  men  in  the  Northern  and  Eastern 
States  are  under,  year  after  year;  practically,  business 
is  suspended  here  in  the  hot  months.  I  really  don't 
wonder!  I  suppose  by  the  time  I  have  been  here  ten 
years  I  shall  wear  white  linen  and  smoke  cigarettes  all 
day  as  Hallett  does !  " 

"  Is  not  Mr.  Hallett  a  good  business  man  ?  I  thought 
he  was  tireless !  " 

"Hallett  is  a  schemer  —  a  promoter,  you  know;  he 
drew  me  into  this  —  you  knew  that?  Then  why,  if  a 
home  company  wanted  the  power  company,  did  they  not 
take  it  up  ?  It  had  been  on  the  market  quite  a  bit  before 
Wheatley  nabbed  me!  Why  did  they  not  organize 
then?" 

"  It  is  better  for  them  this  way  —  can't  you  see  ?  You 
have  done  so  much,  put  it  all  in  such  good  shape;  it 
was  all  —  er  —  messy  before,  was  n't  it?  Now,  if  they 
can  squeeze  you  —  it  was  '  squeeze '  you  called  it,  was  n't 
it?  —  well,  it  will  be  just  —  what  was  it  you  said?  — 
pie  ?  —  pie  for  them,  won't  it  ?  " 

Falls  looked  down  at  the  head  so  near  his  sleeve  in 
amazement.  That  sweet,  drawling  voice,  with  the  halting 
phrases  of  a  child,  was  coolly  presenting  in  a  dozen  sen 
tences  a  scheme  of  fraud  and  dishonesty  that  he,  hard 
man  of  the  world,  had  not  even  dreamed.  And  it  all 
hung  together;  it  offered  a  solution  to  many  puzzling 
aspects  of  the  matter.  Yet,  could  it  be? 

Falls  was  silent;  he  gazed  straight  ahead  at  the  dark 
lawn  while  he  tested  the  chain  of  reason,  of  probability. 
Then  he  laughed  the  tender  laugh  of  reluctant  incredu 
lity  with  which  a  man  declares  against  a  woman's  point 
of  view,  when  the  woman  is  herself  his  point  of  view! 


94  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Is  that  the  way  you  do  business,  Miss  Adair  ?  " 

"  No/'  she  said  a  little  shyly ;  "  but  then,  you  see,  I 
belong  here ;  no  one  would  collogue  —  is  it  collogue  ?  — 
against  me.  It  is  like  my  family  circle  —  " 

"  Ah !  And  I  am  the  stranger  within  your  gates !  I 
see!" 

"Yes,"  said  she  softly,  with  a  glance  which  mitigated 
the  words,  "  yes ;  the  stranger  within  their  gates ! " 

Falls,  plunged  anew  into  thought,  lingered,  and  Joan 
hurried  him  laughingly. 

"  You  must  go !  "  she  said.  "  It  is  late  —  so  late  they 
have  put  out  the  lights ! " 

Falls's  bent  brows  went  up  in  a  smile  almost  boyishly 
teasing.  "  Is  this  a  sample  of  the  way  you  keep  up  with 
local  matters?  Do  you  think  I  put  the  town  lights  out 
when  I  go  to  bed  ?  " 

Joan  was  taking  a  moment  off,  and  did  not  answer 
instantly.  "  How  charming  he  is  —  like  that !  "  she  was 
thinking  in  silent  amazement.  "  Why,  he  looks  like  a 
boy  when  he  grins,  and  shows  those  big  white  teeth ! " 

"  But  they  are  out,"  she  said. 

Falls  did  not  raise  his  eyes  from  her  face  as  he  an 
swered.  He  was  drawing  heavily  upon  the  moments  as 
they  sped  by;  he  must  go  in  a  moment. 

"The  belt  has  slipped;  they  will  come  on  in  a  mo 
ment." 

"  But  the  engines  would  be  running  —  " 

He  was  listening  now  for  the  distant  pounding  which 
should  have  been  audible  from  across  the  hill;  but  all 
was  silent. 

"  George ! "  he  muttered ;  but  he  lingered  yet  a  mo 
ment,  bending  his  tall  head  down  to  Joan.  The  night 


IN    THE    PRIMROSE    PATH        95 

wind,  passing,  boldly  threw  a  shining  tendril  of  her  hair 
across  his  head. 

"  In  this  fight  that  is  coming,  do  I  count  you  on  my 
side?"  he  asked  hurriedly,  holding  her  eyes  with  his  own 
strong  gaze. 

"  Yes ;  I  am  always  for  —  What  is  the  English  battle- 
cry?" 

"  (  God  and  St.  George ! ' "  said  Falls,  laughing  back 
as  he  ran  down  the  steps. 

"  No,  no !  I  mean  the  modern  one !  '  Tommy  Atkins's/ 
you  know ! " 

"  Oh !  "  Falls  ran  back  up  the  steps,  crossed  the  space 
with  a  stride,  and  held  out  his  hand ;  as  she  laid  her  own 
within  it,  he  said  eagerly:  "  Do  you  mean,  '  Fair  play  and 
the  best  man '  —  Yes  ?  " 

He  hesitated,  raising  his  bent  brows  in  smiling  entreaty ; 
then  touched  the  hand  he  held  softly  with  his  lips. 

"  Thank  you ;   good  night !  " 


VIII 

A  BATTLE   OF   THE   STRONG 

FALLS  turned  from  Judge  Adair's  gate  and  struck 
across  the  outskirts  of  the  town  to  the  power-house. 
Adairville  is  built  upon  the  foot-hills  which  nestle  at  the 
base  of  the  long  spur  of  the  Cumberlands,  whose  dim, 
blue  ramparts  keep  watch  and  ward  down  the  length  of 
the  lovely  Tennessee  Valley.  The  resident  portion  of  the 
town  had  climbed  these  round  hilltops,  and,  spreading  its 
foliage-trimmed  skirts  about  it,  looked  back  with  well- 
bred  exclusiveness  upon  its  humbler  neighbors  in  the  cup- 
like  valley  at  its  feet. 

Falls  came  out  at  the  high  gate  on  the  hilltop,  and  the 
town  lay  at  his  feet  wrapped  in  gloom.  A  stratum  of  dif 
fused  light  from  the  stars  hung  overhead,  well  up  above 
the  lines  of  inky  foliage  which  defined  the  streets.  His 
eye  swept  the  darkness  from  point  to  point,  where  the 
arc-lights  were  wont  to  shine  bravely  forth,  only  to  be 
met  by  darkness  at  every  point;  from  where  he  stood  he 
should  have  been  able  to  see  the  glowworm  lights  of  the 
cars,  passing  and  repassing,  in  a  tangled  dance,  but  the 
coverlid  of  blackest  night  was  unpierced  by  a  ray. 

Premonition  of  disaster  had  become  certainty  by  this 
time;  but  nothing  real,  no  matter  how  disastrous,  ever 
found  Falls  inadequate.  He  met  opposition  of  this  kind 

96 


A  BATTLE  OF  THE  STRONG     97 

witn  an  absolutely  unshakable,  unassailable  belief  in  his 
own  power  to  overcome  it.  There  was  no  emotion  in  this 
feeling;  it  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  high  courage  and 
dauntless  daring  which  carries  a  man  across  the  open  to 
storm  a  battery;  it  was  more  the  sure  knowledge  of  what 
he  might  expect  of  himself,  given  such  and  such  condi 
tions,  which  an  engineer  has  when  he  sets  himself  to 
change  the  face  of  nature,  to  tunnel  a  mountain  or  turn 
a  river  from  its  course. 

Within  the  last  three  hours  Falls  had  covered  a  wide 
range  of  emotional  experience.  His  nerves,  which  three 
hours  ago  had  thrilled  in  the  clear  heat  of  a  strong  man's 
first  passion,  now  were  strung  taut;  he  was  ready  for 
instant  action. 

He  went  rapidly,  but  before  he  reached  the  power-house 
every  possible  phase  of  the  accident,  as  he  conceived  it 
to  be,  had  been  methodically  considered  and  disposed  of. 

As  he  dashed  into  the  yards  in  the  direction  of  the 
engine-rooms,  a  jarring  discord  broke  with  appalling  sig 
nificance  upon  his  ear.  In  an  instant  he  had  recognized 
the  beat  and  swing,  the  rush  and  crash,  the  resistless  jar 
of  machinery  out  of  control,  and  for  a  second  a  very 
paralysis  of  will  seemed  to  fall  upon  him,  striking  him 
motionless  where  he  stood. 

In  that  stark  instant  Falls  saw  himself  confronted  by 
a  blind,  disorganized  energy,  non-human,  yet  made  vital 
with  a  maniacal  intelligence,  animated  by  a  mad  will 
of  its  own  to  a  very  lust  of  power ! 

Darkness  met  him  everywhere ;  the  yards  were  deserted, 
and  in  the  intervals  of  the  splitting  crash  and  roar  which 
came  intermittently,  Falls  called  vainly :  "  McCormack ! 
Martin!" 


98  THE    NORTHERNER 

His  foot  struck  a  lantern  dropped  from  some  fleeing 
hand,  and  in  a  moment  a  feeble  light  was  contending  with 
the  masses  of  huddled  shadows;  as  Falls  swung  the  lan 
tern  back  and  forth,  gaunt  arms  and  queer,  contorted 
shapes,  retreating  and  advancing  with  giant  strides, 
threatened  to  engulf  him.  The  wide  doors  of  the  engine- 
room  stood  open,  the  forward  part  in  pitchy  blackness  — 
the  end  open  to  the  starlit  sky  without,  against  which 
a  jagged  mass  of  broken  timbers  shook  and  trembled  with 
the  pounding  of  the  great  engines  below. 

Falls's  ear  was  attuned  to  the  uproar  by  this  time; 
he  read  the  discord  as  a  musician  reads  a  familiar  opera. 
He  followed,  as  though  with  his  eye,  what  was  happening 
in  that  black  cave  of  turmoil;  he  knew  that  slithering 
rush  across  the  floor,  like  the  treading  of  great  beasts, 
was  the  writhing  body  of  the  broken  belt  imprisoned  by 
the  falling  timbers  and  tortured  among  the  madly  whir 
ring  wheels. 

Falls  was  a  clever  machinist;  he  knew  as  he  knew  the 
fingers  of  his  right  hand  these  great  engines;  he  knew 
each  bolt  and  bar,  each  rod  and  piston ;  knew  whence  came 
this  mad  energy,  this  delirium  of  power.  He  could  fit 
together  their  uttermost  parts;  they  were  his  creatures, 
he  loved  them,  and  he  felt  an  odd  sympathy  in  their  brief 
escape  from  thraldom. 

Setting  the  lantern  upon  the  floor  behind  him,  he  threw 
off  his  long  coat  and  stood  in  his  evening  dress.  Hat, 
coat,  vest,  and  even  collar  followed;  he  stripped  as  a 
gladiator  for  the  combat;  and  he  looked  not  unlike  one 
with  his  arms  bare,  the  arch  of  his  great  chest  showing 
through  the  thin  dress  shirt. 

He  stepped  into  the  shadowy  cave,  whose  walls  rang 


A  BATTLE   OF  THE   STRONG     99 

with  the  resonance  of  the  whirring  machinery.  A  stride 
from  the  engines  he  paused,  and  waited  for  that  rush  along 
the  floor  to  announce  to  him  the  one  second  when  he 
might  spring  forward  to  the  valve,  and  back  to  safety. 

It  came ;  the  great,  gray  form  weirdly  undulating  along 
the  floor  like  the  dun  form  of  some  antediluvian  monster. 
It  had  a  moment  of  fierce  wrestling  with  the  imprisoning 
timbers,  and  then  the  sinuous  body  reared  itself  aloft  in 
a  mad  duel  with  the  centrifugal  force  tending  to  fling 
it  from  the  wheel,  back  upon  itself.  That  was  Falls's 
moment;  while  these  Titans  wrestled,  he  sprang  forward 
to  the  valve.  A  moment  of  deft  handling,  a  quick  turn 
of  his  practised  wrist,  a  backward  spring  to  safety;  then, 
with  a  mighty  blow  the  belt  swung  round  more  slowly 
under  the  lessening  impulse  of  the  slowing  engines.  A 
few  convulsive  quivers,  a  shivering  sob  from  the  engines, 
and  the  inert  mass  sank  into  lax,  gray  immobility. 

As  Falls  turned  to  pick  up  his  coat,  he  found  the  lan 
tern  in  the  hand  of  one  of  his  workmen,  a  heavy-set 
young  Scotchman  whom  Falls  had  befriended  years  be 
fore  when  a  stranger  and  penniless;  the  lad  was  about 
to  go  down  in  the  maelstrom  of  the  streets  of  New  York, 
and  he  had  brought  him  with  him  to  the  South. 

The  lad  was  a  clever  machinist,  with  all  of  the  brute 
courage  which  so  often  accompanies  phlegmatic  nerve  in 
men  of  his  type.  Falls  had  never  seen  it  falter  before; 
that  it  should  have  failed  him  thus  seemed  too  incredible 
for  belief.  He  took  the  lantern  from  the  boy's  hand, 
lifting  it  to  look  keenly  at  him. 

"  Get  me  some  whiskey,  McCormack,  will  you  ? "  he 
said  at  last  to  the  lad,  who  had  not  yet  spoken,  not  even 
to  ask  the  cause  of  the  tumult,  or,  more  significant,  to 


ioo  THE    NORTHERNER 

explain  his  own  unaccustomed  presence  at  this  hour. 
Falls  drank  the  whiskey  when  it  came,  and,  as  he  returned 
the  glass  to  McCormack,  he  gave  him  an  odd  word  of 
thanks. 

"  Damn  you ! "  he  said,  with  cold  fury,  and  in  a  level 
tone  which  cut  like  a  file  upon  raw  flesh,  "  I'll  settle  with 
you  in  the  morning ! " 

The  Adairville  Power  and  Passenger  Company  had  been 
one  of  the  many  investments  of  an  Eastern  syndicate, 
whose  local  habitation  was  an  office  in  Wall  Street,  and 
whose  shibboleth  was  "  The  Tennessee  Valley  Improvement 
Company." 

In  the  early  da}rs  of  the  new  South  this  syndicate  had 
poured  out  its  capital  by  millions  into  the  green  valleys 
and  along  the  still  waters  of  the  lovely  Tennessee  Elver. 
It  had  been  among  the  foremost  in  the  campaign  of  cap 
ital  which  had  followed  the  relaxing  grasp  of  the  iron 
hand  of  reconstruction  upon  the  South;  it  had  led  the 
van  when  the  second  army  of  invasion  came  down  in 
Pullman  cars  to  wage  a  new  war  of  conquest  in  this 
lovely  land  of  their  desire. 

Seen  from  car  windows,  and  by  eyes  focussed  to  East 
ern  vision,  Alabama  in  the  early  eighties  had  seemed  a 
land  of  financial  promise  beyond  the  utmost  dreams  of 
dividends  —  a  land  whose  fields  lay  fallow  in  inglorious 
ease,  awaiting  only  the  Midas  touch  of  Eastern  capital  to 
stagger  under  a  golden  harvest.  And  Eastern  capitalists 
had  been  quick  to  read  the  South's  sad  astrology  in  the 
silent  market-places  of  her  battered  towns,  her  empty 
fields,  her  undeveloped  mineral  lands.  The  Tennessee 
Valley  Improvement  Company  had  bought  with  insatia- 


A  BATTLE   OF  THE   STRONG    101 

ble  greed  fields,  and  streams,  and  mountainsides,  aa 
unconscious  of  the  incorporeal  hereditaments  appurtenant 
thereto  as  of  the  transient  colors  which  flushed  the  long, 
green  mountain  ranges. 

They  came  like  the  spirit  of  progress  moving  upon  the 
face  of  the  waters  to  the  Valley  of  the  Tennessee,  which 
lay  like  the  Palace  of  the  Sleeping  Beauty,  dumb  in  a 
trance  of  despair,  and  waked  it  with  the  kiss  of  gold 
to  life  and  purpose ;  they  set  afloat  throughout  its  length 
a  current  of  enterprise  upon  which  the  Adairville  Power 
and  Passenger  Company  was  but  a  straw,  casting  forth, 
with  unhesitating  conviction,  upon  the  stagnant  streams 
of  Southern  industry  and  commerce,  blind  seemingly  to 
the  undertow  which,  instead  of  floating  them  dividends, 
might  in  time  suck  down*their  fleets! 

This  was  all  in  that  halcyon  time  in  the  early  eighties, 
•when  the  East  was  playing  "  King  Cophetua "  to  the 
South's  "  Beggar  Maid."  Thirty  years  lay  between  Lin 
coln's  Emancipation  and  the  South's  own  emancipation; 
her  own  arm,  grown  sturdy  with  toil,  struck  off  the  last 
shackles  of  slavery  when  regret  was  cast  behind.  Then 
the  New  South  was  born:  first-fruit  of  the  union  of 
the  East  and  South.  And  that  lusty  infant,  wasting  no 
time  over  the  gory  annals  of  the  past,  kicked  the  swad 
dling-clothes  from  its  vigorous  limbs  and  held  out  stren 
uous  hands  to  the  East,  and  the  East  hastened  to  fill 
them  with  gold. 

Then  the  Tennessee  Valley  Improvement  Company  be 
stirred  itself;  and  with  its  faith  in  its  own  perspicuity  a 
little  frayed,  perhaps,  sent  down  an  agent  to  Alabama  — 
"  an  all-round  good  man,  plenty  capable  "  —  with  definite 
instructions  to  start  those  sluggish  streams  of  dividends 


102  THE    NORTHERNER 

in  the  direction  of  the  Wall  Street  offices,  and  to  promote 
its  interest  all  along  the  line  of  its  investments  in  Ala 
bama.  Hallett  stayed  for  twelve  months  in  Alabama, 
looking  into  the  syndicate's  concerns,  and  at  the  end  of 
that  time  advised  among  other  retrenchments  the  sale 
of  the  Power  and  Passenger  plant.  The  stockholders  mut 
tered;  the  investment  was  a  sound  one;  Adairville  was 
a  growing  town. 

Hallett,  though  a  trifle  reticent  as  to  his  reasons, 
stuck  inflexibly  to  his  position.  It  was  not  that  his  ex 
planations  lacked  frankness  or  his  language  lucidity;  it 
was,  as  he  stated,  that  his  audience  lacked  the  viewpoint 
which  would  enable  them  fully  to  appreciate  the  cogency 
of  his  argument.  At  this  some  of  the  stockholders  had 
laughed,  and  swore  as  they  laughed. 

There  had  followed  a  puzzled  resume"  of  the  situation 
and  resources,  and  further  keen  questioning  of  Hallett 
as  to  his  reasons  for  the  sale  of  the  plant.  Finally  the 
unwieldy  corporation  decided  that,  hampered  by  a  multi 
tude  of  interests,  it  could  not  investigate,  but  —  it  could 
sell. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Falls  had  found  the  affairs  of  the 
Power  and  Passenger  Company  in  good  shape;  all  was 
fair,  open,  perfectly  regular;  every  condition  met,  every 
explanation  given  in  Hallett's  lucid  speech  to  every  sordid 
detail,  to  which  his  clear-cut  New  England  accent  seemed 
to  add  a  refining  touch. 

Yet,  from  the  very  first,  Falls  had  been  conscious, 
dimly,  of  some  intangible  obstacle  in  the  way  of  his  in 
vestigation  into  the  conditions  which  formed  the  environ 
ment  of  the  Power  and  Passenger  Company's  plant.  It 
•was  an  impalpable  thing,  which  all  of  Falls's  perspicacity 


A  BATTLE  OF  THE  STRONG  103 

failed  to  reduce  to  definiteness  of  perception.  His  senses 
took  cognizance  of  it,  it  is  true,  but  too  vaguely  to  afford 
him  a  distinct  mental  impression.  It  eluded  him  at 
every  point.  To  his  mind,  seeking  to  grasp  it,  define 
it,  fix  its  limits,  it  was  what  a  floating  film  of  silvery 
spider's  web  is  to  the  senses.  It  is  only  visible  in  a  chance 
beam  of  light ;  it  is  scarcely  more  palpable  to  the  touch 
than  is  the  beam  of  light  itself,  yet  one  knows  that  it 
is  there. 

The  Power  and  Passenger  Company  was  a  big  deal  to 
handle  alone;  all  that  Falls  had,  all  that  he  was,  was 
in  it.  He  stood  alone  to  confront  the  situation,  as  a 
duellist  his  opponent,  with  a  nerve  so  flawless  and  a  res 
olution  so  unbending  as  to  put  him  upon  a  plane  almost 
equal  to  that  of  the  inorganio*  forces  with  which  he  had 
to  deal.  Falls  was  the  type  of  -man  from  which  is  drawn 
the  great  Captains  of  Industry  who  have  changed  the 
face  of  the  commercial  world;  nature  had  set  his  mind 
to  the  broad  gage  of  continental  thought;  he  had  spent 
his  life  in  the  grea&jnarket-places  of  the  world,  had  ac 
quired  his  perspective  from  the  heights  of  an  impersonal 
vision  that  measured  life  and  men  and  business  in  their 
relation  to  the  world  of  men,  rather  than  by  the  inch- 
rule  of  their  relation  to  him  as  an  individual. 

To  Falls,  "  the  South "  meant  the  southern  part  of 
the  United  States  of  America;  and,  barring  climatic  and 
geographical  conditions,  which  had  their  equivalents  else 
where,  it  was  as  the  rest  of  the  world  is. 

The  social  element  had  not  entered  at  all  into  Falls's 
analysis  of  the  situation,  though  in  a  dim,  reflex  way  he 
had  been  conscious  all  along  of  the  natural  charm  of  the 
place  and  the  surrounding  country.  The  beautiful  valley 


104  THE   NORTHERNER 

of  the  Tennessee,  walled  by  its  ramparts  of  mountains, 
as  blue  as  the  autumn  distance,  delighted  him;  the  wide, 
white  streets,  muffled  in  deep  dust,  whose  double  line  of 
arching  elms  made  dim  green  tunnels  of  them  even  in 
the  blazing  days  of  June,  when  he  had  first  seen  them, 
pleased  him ;  the  easy,  social  life  of  club  and  hotel  seemed 
to  Falls's  unaccustomed  mind  to  have  almost  the  charm 
of  a  family  circle. 

After  the  rush  and  grind  of  his  more  strenuous  life, 
Falls  had  rested,  unconsciously  soothed,  by  the  platitudes 
of  this  simpler  life. 

His  awakening,  it  seemed,  was  at  hand,  when  Falls 
was  to  struggle,  a  lion  amid  the  toils,  in  the  meshes  which 
this  "  simpler  life  "  had  woven  about  his  feet. 


IX 

AN   HONORABLE   UNDERSTANDING    AMONG    GENTLEMEN 

AS  though  by  prearrangement  with  Falls's  evil  genius 
—  under  the  direct,  personal  supervision  of  that  dig 
nitary  indeed  —  a  week  of  December  rain  and  storm  fol 
lowed  upon  the  accident  to  the  power  plant. 

Short  days,  which  scarcely  got  their  weeping  eyes  half- 
open,  were  shortened  by  low  nimbus  clouds,  from  whose 
black  under-surfaces  trailed  a  curtain  of  clammy  mist 
beaded  with  sleety  rain.  Nights  of  persistent  blackness 
succeeded  each  other  in  ominous  procession  of  gloom, 
while  from  mills  and  factories,  stores  and  offices,  —  nay, 
from  the  town  as  from  one  throat,  —  rose  anathemas  loud 
and  deep  against  the  crippled  plant. 

In  business  circles  but  one  topic  obtained;  not  Falls 
and  his  disabled  plant,  however,  as  might  have  been 
expected.  Falls  was  for  the  moment  ignored  in  favor 
of  the  more  grateful  subject  of  municipal  shortcom 
ings. 

About  the  dripping  street-corners,  in  the  lobbies  of 
the  hotels  and  the  Dixie  Club,  at  meetings  of  church  soci 
eties  and  guilds,  the  incredible,  the  shameful,  "the  p-e-r- 
f ectly  d-i-sgraceful "  state  of  municipal  matters,  was  dis 
cussed  with  animation  by  the  committees  of  ladies  who 

105 


io6  THE    NORTHERNER 

had  in  charge  the  "  civic "  department  of  Adairville's 
progress. 

The  city  council,  sullen,  but  secretly  anxious  to  placate 
the  town,  held  meeting  after  meeting,  at  which  speeches 
were  made,  resolutions  adopted,  looking  to  the  rescinding 
of  the  city's  contracts  with  Falls  should  the  works  fail 
to  be  in  operation  within  the  two  weeks'  time  limit,  which 
formed  a  clause  in  the  contracts. 

An  election  was  decided  upon  and  hurriedly  held,  put 
ting  before  the  town  the  question  of  a  bond  issue  for  the 
erection  of  a  municipal  plant.  Adairville  returned  a  solid 
vote  in  favor  of  the  bond  issue,  and  Adairville's  city 
council,  secure  in  its  long  suit,  waited  the  lead  with  smil 
ing  complacency. 

To  consider  the  "  lead "  which  was  now  before  the 
town,  a  small,  very  select  coterie  met  at  Hallett's  offices 
upon  a  night  about  a  week  after  the  plant  had  suspended 
operations.  The  city  council  was  well  represented  at  the 
meeting,  which  was  "  entirely  of  a  private  character," 
the  remainder  of  the  select  circle  being  local  capitalists 
and  one  or  two  "  outsiders,"  of  whom  Hallett  was  one 
and  the  Honorable  Anthony  Cruikshanks,  the  newly  ap 
pointed  judge  of  the  newly  organized  Tenth  Judicial  Cir 
cuit,  embracing  Holmes  County,  was  the  other.  The  meet 
ing  had  been  quietly  called  together  to  discuss  the  erec 
tion  of  a  municipal  plant;  but,  oddly  enough,  its  dis 
cussion  seemed  to  involve  much  low-voiced  consultation 
as  to  the  reorganization  of  the  insolvent  Mount  Ely  Gas 
Company,  whose  affairs,  it  developed,  were  being  most 
opportunely  wound  up  by  its  receiver  in  the  Honorable 
Anthony  Cruikshanks's  court,  sitting  in  chancery. 

The  Honorable  Anthony  Cruikshanks,  who  was  known 


HONORABLE    UNDERSTANDING  107 

throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  his  circuit  as  well 
as  to  the  town  as  "  Tony,"  was,  it  had  been  more  than 
hinted  by  grateful  constituents,  the  most  "  useful "  mem 
ber  of  Adairville's  body  politic. 

Cruikshanks  was  a  man  of  many  and  varied  attain 
ments.  A  clever  lawyer,  temperate  and  cool  of  counsel, 
Tony  was  possessed  of  every  qualification  necessary  to 
make  him  a  boon  companion,  except  such  as  would  have 
disqualified  him  for  the  position  of  ready,  efficient,  and 
supremely  discreet  tool  of  the  men  who  used  him,  not 
without  misgiving  as  to  a  time  in  the  future  when  Tony 
might  in  his  turn  use  them.  He  was  easily  the  most 
popular  man  in  business  in  Adairville,  with  a  left-handed 
popularity  which  included  him  in  the  business  affairs  but 
ignored  him  in  the  pleasures  of  the  men  with  whom  he 
went. 

Hallett  was  speaking  "  informally,"  but  with  a  very 
businesslike  keenness  and  directness,  to  the  group  of  men 
scattered  about  his  office. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  he  said  in  his  clear,  resonant  voice, 
"  we  understand  fully,  do  we,  that  we  organize  the  Cum 
berland  Gas  Company  at  the  instance  of  Adairville's  city 
council,  to  enable  them  to  —  ah  —  to  tide  over  the  exi 
gencies  of  the  situation  here,  resulting  from  the  practical 
failure  of  the  electric  '  Power  and  Passenger '  company 
to  fill  its  contracts?  and  that  we  have  the  —  the  city's 
and  county's  contracts  also?  That  is  correct,  eh,  Mr. 
Greer?  Oh,  of  course!  Until  the  city  has  its  own  plant 
in  operation."  A  somewhat  constrained  silence  followed 
upon  the  cessation  of  Hallett's  pleat>nt  voice.  He  was 
carrying  matters  with  too  high  a  hanc*  to  suit  some  of 
his  audience. 


io8  THE    NORTHERNER 

A  smile  flickered  in  the  eyes  of  the  lounging  circle, 
and  like  summer  lightning  died,  without  having  touched 
the  quiet  faces  of  Hallett's  audience. 

Neely,  the  tough  fibre  of  whose  mind  was  as  little  con 
scious  of  social  tension  as  his  body  of  atmospheric  pres 
sure,  rose  at  last,  his  bull-like  presence  seeming  to  over 
ride  opposition  by  mere  preponderance  of  bulk. 

"  No  company  will  be  organized  unless  that  is  distinctly 
understood,"  he  said  sullenly,  and  dropped  his  soft  bulk 
skilfully  back  into  the  exact  spot  whence  he  had  risen. 

Hallett's  unruffled  voice,  brisk  and  invigorating,  cleared 
the  atmosphere  of  murkiness. 

"  Carmichael,  what  news  have  you  of  Mr.  Falls  ?  Car- 
michael,"  he  added  in  bland  explanation,  "  is  Falls's  up 
town  manager,  and  has  his  affairs  generally  in  charge 
during  his  absence  —  " 

A  little  laugh,  gentle  and  lazy,  went  the  rounds  of  the 
circle,  in  which  Carmichael  himself  joined,  though  his 
eyes  —  busy  with  his  untidy  cigarette  —  were  grave. 

"Aye,"  said  General  Evert  dryly,  "we've  met  Jimmy 
before,  thank  you,  Hallett.  When  '11  Falls  git  back,  son  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Falls,"  said  "  son  "  with  guarded  precision,  "  is 
in  Cincinnati  having  machinery  recast  to  replace  his 
emash-up  —  " 

"What  he  's  doing  don't  cut  any  special  figure! 
When  '11  he  be  back,  boy?" 

"  This  week  —  les'n  his  foot  slips !  " 

"  I  suppose  this  sale  is  'bliged  to  be  advertised  —  eh, 
Tony?" 

"  'Bliged  to  be,  Mr.  Frazier !  '  The  law  awards  it,  and 
the  Court  — '" 

"  Git  out !     I  've  known  the  law,  and  the  courts,  too, 


HONORABLE    UNDERSTANDING  109 

for  twice  as  long  nearly  as  you  *ve  been  born,  Tony! 
Don't  you  come  here  telling  me  what  the  law  awards! 
It  }s  the  rottenest,  old  sifter-bottom  — " 

"  The  law,"  said  Tony,  in  his  newly  found  judicial  man 
ner,  fixing  his  brilliant  goggled  eyes  behind  their  gold- 
rimmed  glasses  upon  the  irate  old  man,  " '  the  law  is  a 
cobweb  where  the  big  flies  break  through,  and  the  little 
ones  stick ! '  You  've  been  a  big  fly  hereabouts  always, 
Mr.  Frazier.  It  holds  the  little  flies  fast  enough !  " 

"  When  is  this  sale  set  for,  Tony  ?  "  asked  Hallett. 

"  Tenth  of  January,  twelve  o'clock,  noon,"  answered 
Tony  with  brief  exactness. 

"  And  Falls  will  not  be  he-re  on  that  date,  you  say, 
Jimmy  ?  " 

"  Yep,"  said  Jimmy,  his  grave  eyes  still  on  his  cigar 
ette. 

"  Well  ?  Say  on,  can't  you,  Jimmy.  We  want  to  get 
away  fum  here  sometime  to-night ! " 

"  In  case  he  is  not  here  —  and  he  won't  be  —  Watson 

will  bid  for  him ;  and  he  's  to  double  up  any  d little 

local  concern  twice  over,  if  it  comes  to  that." 

This  last  was  so  plainly  a  quotation,  and  Neely  turned 
so  furious  a  face  upon  Falls's  luckless  up-town  manager, 
that  that  easy-going  gentleman  turned  sideways  upon 
Halletf  s  desk  and  laughed  long  and  silently  amid  the 
wreck  of  Hallett's  elegant  appointments. 

"  I  '11  be  there  when  local  concerns  begin  to  be  doubled 
up ! "  cried  Neely  with  fierce  acrimony ;  and  Carmichael 
laughed  again  his  hearty,  ringing  laugh  that  made  men 
like  him,  in  spite  of  their  better  judgment. 

"Then  you  '11  beat  me,  Neely,"  he  said,  as  he  rose  to 
follow  the  dispersing  company.  "I  'm  going  to  take  the 


no  THE    NORTHERNER 

boys  down  on  Injin  creek  nutting;  don't  you  wanter 
come  erlong?  It  's  goin'  to  be  clear  by  then." 

"  Here,  you  fellows,  I  want  to  say  a  word  before  this 
meeting  breaks  up  —  " 

"Well,  well,  Boiling,  shorely;  but  —  won't  next  week 
do  —  the  week  after?  I  'm  fur  home  now;  the  Madam 
will  be  asking  why  I  'm  out  so  late  —  " 

"  Git  out,  Uncle  Milt,"  said  Boiling  with  amiable  dis 
respect,  "  Aunt  Matilda  won't  begin  to  look  for  you  be 
fore  daylight!  You  'd  as  well  sit  down;  I  'm  going  to 
talk  now." 

Boiling  spoke  in  a  rapid,  blundering  way,  yet  with 
the  air  of  a  man  accustomed  to  be  listened  to;  and  he  was 
listened  to.  Not  a  man  present  lost  a  word  of  his  dis 
course  —  clipped,  broken,  stumbling,  but  forcibly  impres 
sive,  the  speech  of  a  man  who  never  spoke  when  he  could 
avoid  it,  never  failed  to  say  exactly  what  he  meant,  and 
never  revoked  a  word  once  spoken. 

"  I  'm  chairman  of  this  infernal  board  of  control  — 
much  control  we  have!  But,  well,  I  've  found  out  that 
Falls  has  about  got  his  matters  in  shape.  He  '11  have 
his  machinery  here  inside  the  time  limit;  the  works  out 
there  will  be  in  full  blast  before  this  week  is  out.  Now, 
unless  we  want  litigation  —  in  the  Federal  courts,  too  — 
we  'd  best  go  easy  in  this  talk  about  the  contracts  —  yet 
awhile.  The  city's  contracts  are  going  to  stop  where  they 
are  —  Greer  will  do  as  he  likes ;  but  'Dairville  is  not  going 
to  butt  into  Watson  and  the  Federal  court  as  long  as 
I  have  anything  to  do  with  her  —  and  I  think  I  have  —  " 
Boiling  was  struggling  into  his  coat  now,  and  he  made 
no  further  attempt  to  end  his  blunt  speech;  it  seemed 
to  require  neither  conclusion  nor  comment. 


HONORABLE   UNDERSTANDING   m 

"Boiling,"  said  Neely  sullenly,  as  the  two  made  their 
way  along  the  unlighted  streets,  "  I  like  your  standing 
up  for  that  d Yankee  erginst  ow'  own  folks ! " 

"  I  'm  glad  you  're  pleased,  Neely,"  said  Boiling  se 
renely,  and  Neely  relapsed  into  fresh  gloom. 

"  Why  don't  you  resign  ? "  he  inquired  hopefully,  a 
moment  later. 

"  I  rather  thought  I  'd  see  this  thing  through  first ; 
I  may  then.  Look  there ! "  Boiling  pointed  to  where  a 
candle  stuck  in  a  bottle  glimmered  absurdly  at  each  corner 
of  the  Court-house  Square  amid  the  engulfing  darkness. 
"  That  sort  of  thing  is  enough  to  make  any  man  resign 
—  anything !  I  tell  you,  Neely,  this  is  undignified  —  this 
is  regular  hazing !  Are  we  boys  playing  marbles  —  or 
is  this  a  city  administration  ?  "  went  on  Boiling  in  furious 
recitative. 

Neely  laughed  and  laughed  again ;  but  his  words,  when 
he  spoke,  bore  a  grim  significance. 

"  Naw,"  he  said  ponderously ;  "  naw,  we  're  not  playing 
marbles,  Johnny.  And  nobody  ain't  making  no  fool  of 
your  precious  board  of  control,  neither.  God  A'mighty 
'tended  to  that  Hisse'f !  " 

"  Well,"  remarked  Boiling  simply,  "  I  was  a  great  hand 
at  marbles  when  I  was  a  kid;  used  to  just  rake  'em  in! 
Breeches  pockets  always  loaded  —  big  box  at  home ! " 
He  stopped  to  indulge  in  a  graceless,  reminiscent  chuckle 
at  his  infantile  gambling.  "  But,"  he  went  on,  "  I  did  n't 
fudge  then  —  and  I  don't  somehow  take  to  it  now!  Yes, 
I  '11  see  this  contract  business  through,  Neely,  Yankee  or 
no  Yankee,  nigger-lover  or  nigger-hater  —  I'm  white  my 
self !  Oh,  naw,  no  offence.  Good  night." 

"  Come  in,  General,"  said  Hallett,  as  he  and  General 


ii2  THE    NORTHERNER 

Evert  reached  his  chambers  over  the  First  National  Bank ; 
and  with  a  strange  oblivion  to  the  Madam's  possible 
remarks  the  General  accepted  Hallett's  invitation. 

"  Gad,  sir,  you  're  well  fixed  up  here ! "  he  remarked 
with  envious  admiration  of  the  young  bachelor's  freedom. 

"  Well/'  Hallett  asked  after  an  interval,  "  what  's  do 
ing,  General  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  where  Watson  is  concerned.  Tony  came  up 
to  the  scratch  without  a  balk,"  answered  Evert  with  dry 
brevity. 

"  He  never  balks,"  with  cool  scorn.  "  How  did  Watson 
take  it?  Did  he  let  out  any  hint?" 

Evert  transferred  his  impassive  gaze  to  Hallett's  face 
and  let  it  dwell  there  a  moment,  as  though  he  saw  Hallett 
for  the  first  time  and  found  him  an  interesting  develop 
ment  in  credulity. 

"  He  said,"  Evert  resumed  after  that  silent  colloquy 
was  ended,  "  that  his  —  ah  —  his  practice  engrossed  his 
entire  time,  and  that  as  he  was  already  attorney  for  the 
Power  Company,  and  as  his  client  would  no  doubt  — 
that  is,  it  was  a  possibility  —  that  Falls  would  bid  him 
self,  there  was  nothing  in  it.  I  have  n't  seen  Hugh  take 
the  trouble  to  play  the  fool  in  years  that  he  did  in  our 
talk;  he  's  about  given  it  up  with  me." 

"  Could  he  not  be  persuaded  to  join  us  ?  "  asked  Hallett 
smoothly,  but  with  a  tightening  lip  and  a  dilating  nostril 
which  caught  the  older  man's  eye  as  it  was  intended  to 
do.  Evert's  gaze  grew  more  peremptory  as  he  waited, 
with  impatience,  Hallett's  elaborate  finessing. 

"  I  think,"  Hallett  went  on  with  visible  enjoyment  of 
his  strategic  approach,  "  that  if  I  was  to  press  a  little 
button,  he  'd  probably  do  the  rest." 


HONORABLE   UNDERSTANDING  113 

He  paused;  the  subtle  change  which  did  duty  for  a 
smile  had  passed  over  Evert's  impassive  face. 

Evert  never  smiled  in  the  sense  of  amusement,  yet  he 
was  a  boon  companion;  he  had  never  been  known  to 
smile  in  sympathy  with  another's  joy,  yet  men  —  and 
women,  too  —  took  to  him  their  joys  and  their  sorrows, 
and  he  never  failed  to  add  to  the  one,  and  measurably, 
at  least,  to  mitigate  the  other.  Life  had  winnowed  every 
tenderer  emotion  from  him,  leaving  an  empty  shell,  from 
which  flowed  a  tonic  of  bitter  philosophy  —  a  caustic 
which  seared  alike  friend  and  foe;  but  to  the  one's  hurt, 
to  the  other's  healing. 

"  A  string  on  Watson,  sonny  ? "  he  inquired  mildly ; 
"what  's  it  made  of?" 

"  Whipcord/'  he  said  tersely.  "  The  same  sort  as  those 
whips  are  made  of  that  they  say  our  pleasant  vices  twist 
for  us,"  he  added,  unconsciously  adopting  Falls's  simile. 

"  A-y-e,"  said  Evert,  "  it  's  in  him !  But  has  it  come 
out  in  any  form  we  can  lay  hold  of  —  anything  material  ?  " 

"  Very  material ;  it  's  documentary  evidence,  and  of 
the  most  damning  sort ! " 

He  rose  as  he  spoke,  and,  opening  the  secret  drawer 
of  his  desk,  took  out  the  letter  which  he  and  Falls  had 
found  weeks  before  in  the  square,  and  tossed  it  across  the 
table  to  General  Evert. 

The  General  mounted  a  pair  of  benevolent  spectacles, 
and,  without  surprise  or  comment,  read  the  letter  through. 
He  folded  it,  and  threw  it  carelessly  upon  the  table. 

"  You  mean  to  put  the  screws  on  Betty  ?  " 

Hallett  winced;  screws,  and  Betty's  rose-white  flesh! 
Evert  was  unnecessarily  brutal  —  sometimes.  Hallett's 
eyes  wavered,  and  the  old  man  saw  it. 


H4  THE    NORTHERNER 

"It  's  useless  otherwise;  it  may  be  useless  anyway. 
Women  are  so  d forgiving !  " 

"  Is  it  so  important  to  have  Watson  in  this  ?  "  Hallett 
temporized. 

"  All-important ;  Watson  carries  more  weight  than  any 
one  man,  in  'Dairville  or  out  of  it,  in  Holmes  County. 
And  that  's  not  all;  Falls  is  Watson's  client,  and  there  's 
no  fooling  Hugh!  He  is  on  to  this  already,  or  I  am 
much  mistaken.  He  took  his  glasses  off  the  moment  I 
edged  on  to  the  subject  —  " 

"Took  them  off?" 

"He  always  takes  them  off  when  he  thinks  he  's  got 
what  he  wants.  I  've  had  him  after  me  in  the  witness- 
box,  —  those  little  railroad  matters,  —  confound  him !  " 

"  Watson  broke  your  nerve  on  the  stand,  General,"  said 
Hallett  coolly.  "  Now  's  your  chance  to  see  how  he  looks 
under  the  screw  himself.  Perhaps  he  '11  have  more  than 
he  wants  after  our  little  interview,"  he  finished  with  vin 
dictive  complaisance. 

General  Evert  sat  erect,  regarding  his  companion  with 
unfeigned  astonishment,  not  altogether  unmixed  with 
guarded  admiration. 

"  '  Little  interview '  ?  "  he  echoed  shrewdly.  "  Were 
you  thinking  of  opening  this  matter  to  Hugh  face  to 
face,  Hallett?" 

"  How  ? "  said  Hallett,  his  carefully  trained  Southern 
brogue  falling  from  him,  the  combative  blood  of  his  Pil 
grim  forefathers  pricking  in  his  veins,  the  tough,  un 
bending  spirit  of  old  New  England  setting  his  handsome 
boyish  face  like  flint.  "Why  not  face  to  face?  We  are 
not  on  the  Yallobusha,  General,  'where  there  are  n't  no 
ten  commandments ' !  " 


HONORABLE    UNDERSTANDING  115 

"I  —  I  don't  keep  up  with  literature  these  days,  sonny; 
I  lost  track  of  the  Decalogue  forty  years  ago.  I  never 
was,"  modestly,  "  exactly  an  authority  on  those  old  Mo 
saic  matters.  But  —  how  many  commandments  should 
you  say  were  in  common  use  in  Holmes  County  to-day, 
Hallett?" 

"  I  cannot  recall  but  one,"  murmured  Hallett  to  his 
cigar,  "  and  then  there  is  the  one  I  propose  to  remind 
Watson  of  —  " 

"  I  'd  like  to  be  by  when  you  remind  Hugh  that  '  thou 
shalt  not ' !  " 

"  Oh,"  murmured  Hallett  with  modest  deprecation, 
"  there  will  be  nothing  spectacular  —  nothing  for  the 
galleries.  It  will  be  just  as  easy  '  as  falling  off  a  log/  ': 

"  Well,  le'  me  know  when  you  've  fallen  off.  Good 
night  —  the  Madam  — 

"  I  '11  light  you  down,  General  —  " 

"  Never  mind  —  never  mind,  sonny.  I  've  walked  in 
darkness  for  sixty  years;  a  light  might  make  me  stumble. 
There  are  those  "  —  he  turned  his  impassive  face  to  Hal 
lett  without  a  trace  of  humor  —  "  those  who  malign  me 
by  saying  that  I  prefur  darkness  to  light.  But  —  we  all 
have  our  detractors  —  eh,  son?" 


X 

THOU  SHALT   NOT 

HALLETT  chose  a  moment,  a  few  nights  later,  for 
his  face-to-face  interview  with  Watson;  and  chose 
it  with  the  cautious  diplomacy  which  characterized  him. 
As  he  had  shrewdly  prophesied,  there  was  nothing  in  the 
brief  talk  which  would  have  afforded  to  a  third  person, 
had  one  been  present,  the  slightest  clue  to  the  real  import 
of  the  dozen  careless  sentences  that  passed  between  them. 

He  had  sauntered  in  late  to  his  dinner  at  the  Adair 
Hotel,  and  found  the  big,  bright  dining-room  crowded 
with  guests;  there  seemed  difficulty  in  finding  a  seat 
for  Hallett,  and  Jim  Bow,  Hallett's  pet  waiter,  rolled 
his  despairing  eye  toward  a  table  where  Watson  dined 
alone.  But  between  that  table  and  "  de  ginural  public  " 
lay  the  stern  mandate  of  the  head  waiter,  and  Elias  was 
a  person  to  be  obeyed.  Now  the  question  which  agitated 
the  little,  hard  nut  of  a  brain  tucked  away  under  Jim 
Bow's  elaborately  barbered  wool  was  this:  was  Mr.  Hal 
lett  to  be  construed  as  "  de  ginural  public  "  ?  Jim  Bow 
decided  not,  and  began  a  crawfish-like  progress  toward 
the  forbidden  table.  Hallet  saw,  and  diplomatically 
seized  his  opportunity. 

"  I  '11  dine  with  Mr.  Watson,  Jim  Bow ;  this  will  do 
perfectly !  "  The  nimble  coin  slid  into  Jim  Bow's  ubiqui- 

116 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  117 

tous  palm,  and  Hugh  looked  up  astonished  to  find  Hallett 
at  his  elbow. 

"  Ah,  Watson ! "  Hallett  seated  himself  and  ran  his 
eye  around  the  crowded  room.  It  was  an  ideal  oppor 
tunity.  He  nodded  here  and  there  with  his  cold  genial 
ity,  and,  turning  to  his  perfectly  silent  companion,  said 
in  precisely  the  tone  of  polite,  perfunctory  inquiry  with 
which  the  whole  world  inquires  concerning  the  welfare 
of  one  another's  relatives: 

"  How  is  Eosebud  ?  How  does  she  like  —  ah,  Ohio  ?  " 
It  was  so  boldly,  so  admirably  done  —  time,  place,  and 
circumstance  so  skilfully  chosen  —  that  for  one  brief  mo 
ment  Watson  staggered  under  the  impact  of  the  unexpected 
assault,  a  moment  which  afforded  to  Hallett  a  taste  of 
keen  triumph.  Watson's  glance  reinforced  by  his  glasses 

—  he  had  cursed  the  evil  chance  which  caught  him  with 
them   on  —  met   Hallett's   own   in   stern   question;    and 
there  was  that  in  the  look  which  brought  to  Hallett's 
mind  a  sudden  memory  of  icicle  lances  hanging  from  the 
eaves  of  his  distant  New  England  home,  so  cold,  so  hard, 
so  piercing.     Watson  calmly  removed  his  glasses,  making 
a  place  for  them  among  the  dishes  at  his  elbow,  and  turned 
his  indefinite  gaze  upon  Hallett. 

"  She  likes  it  pretty  well,  I  believe,"  said  Hugh,  after 
the  exact  interval  had  elapsed  which  bored  unconcern 
would  naturally  have  spaced.  "  Milly  Ann  —  Joan's  maid 

—  hears   from  her,   and  Joan  was  telling  me  that  she 
is  making  quite  remarkable  progress."    The  colorless  in 
difference  of  the  tone  turned  Hallett's  flank  neatly  and 
left  him  to  take  the  initiative  once  more. 

The  waiter  had  returned  with  Hallett's  dinner,  and 
busied  himself  with  deft  arrangement  of  the  dishes,  Hal- 


ii8  THE    NORTHERNER 

lett  applying  himself  to  his  soup  with  the  reserved  en 
thusiasm  of  a  man  who  does  not,  lightly,  allow  anything 
to  come  between  himself  and  his  dinner.  Presently  he 
resumed : 

"  Interesting  class,  these  —  octoroons  ?  " 

"  Where  ? "  said  Watson,  and  turned  his  helpless  gaze 
upon  the  crowded  room  of  immaculate  diners. 

Under  Hallett's  cool  glance  of  understanding,  Watson's 
heavy  features  were  stolid  to  the  point  of  absolute  stupid 
ity;  his  dull  gaze  under  half -closed  lids,  his  long,  flexible 
lips  devoid  of  humor,  the  heavy,  bear-like  lurch  of  his 
great  form  —  all  seemed  purely,  frankly  animal. 

As  Hallett  marked  the  sensuous  curve  of  the  man's 
heavy  jaw,  the  drooping  eyelid,  a  cold  qualm  seized  him. 
What  if,  after  all,  his  weapon  should  fall  blunted  from 
Watson's  armor  of  callousness?  Such  things  were  com 
mon.  Hallett's  mind  glanced  backward  over  all  he  had 
heard  of  General  Evert  —  his  life,  his  experiences  — 
which  he  had  himself  epitomized  in  that  scathing  epi 
gram  :  "  Women  are  so  d forgiving !  " 

Hallett  mused.  This  acid  with  which  he  had  meant 
to  corrode  Watson's  life  would  only  bite  into  a  pure  metal. 
What  if,  after  all  was  told,  it  should  roll  innocuous  from 
the  baser  metal  of  the  man's  sensual  soul?  The  blow, 
then,  must  be  struck  straight  at  the  center  of  Watson's 
heart,  where  lay  the  image  of  Betty  Archer  guarded, 
Cerberus-like,  by  his  honor.  Dinner  progressed;  the 
waiters  hovered  near,  other  guests  were  seated.  Watson 
arose  finally,  and,  adjusting  his  glasses,  met  Hallett's 
glance  once  more  squarely  with  his  own.  The  glance 
was  a  rapier  now,  upon  whose  shining  blade  was  carved 
a  message  of  both  challenge  and  reprisal. 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  119 

Upon  leaving  the  hotel  Hugh  turned  with  a  sense  of 
oppression  from  his  offices  and  his  rooms,  seeking  grate 
fully  the  solitude  of  the  cold  winter  night  outside. 

Hallett's  mine  so  adroitly  sprung  had  not  found  him 
unprepared.  As  General  Evert  had  ruefully  presaged, 
Watson  had  picked  up  the  thread  of  the  scheme,  without 
difficulty,  from  the  General's  attempted  sounding,  and 
had  subsequently  evolved  the  details.  The  blundering, 
which  had  so  exasperated  General  Evert  upon  the  occasion 
of  his  talk  with  Watson,  had  in  reality  covered  Hugh's 
profound  amazement  at  the  boldness  with  which  the  game 
was  being  played.  Every  man  in  the  new  Cumberland 
Gas  Company  deal  knew  that  Watson  was  attorney  for 
the  "  Power  "  company  —  and  Falls's  friend ;  yet  a  prop 
osition  had  been  tacitly  made  him  to  lend  his  name  as 
president  to  the  organization  of  a  rival  company  being 
organized,  with  scarcely  an  effort  at  concealment,  to  make 
war  upon  his  client,  and,  if  possible,  to  break  him  down. 

The  unprecedented  boldness  of  the  thing  had  in  itself 
placed  the  end  of  the  thread  within  Hugh's  hand;  and 
he  had  followed  it  smoothly  to  the  conclusion  that  some 
thing  more  than  met  the  ear  lay  beneath  the  unusual 
proposition.  There  had  been  about  it,  to  Hugh's  ear,  the 
coercive  ring  of  a  demand;  the  employment  of  General 
Evert  as  an  emissary  was  significant.  Following,  with 
blind  steps,  the  clue  to  that  peremptory  note,  Hugh  had 
decided  that  he  was  to  be  lashed  into  the  company  under 
the  scourge  of  public  opinion.  In  other  words,  the  town 
offered  him  this  opportunity  to  retrieve  the  position  which 
he  had  taken  for  Falls  against  his  townsmen.  On  his 
refusal  to  turn  Falls  over  to  the  arms  of  Moloch,  he  would 
himself  share  with  Falls  social  ostracism. 


120  THE   NORTHERNER 

Watson  had  laughed  at  the  thought.  Ostracism  for  him 
—  Hugh  Watson  —  in  Holmes  County!  For  Kandolph 
Watson's  son!  A  wave  of  hot  anger  surged  over  him  at 
the  thought. 

But  that  night  over  his  pipe,  Watson's  mind,  ranging 
in  sequacious  review  each  related  circumstance,  caught 
the  trend  of  the  undercurrent  which  had  escaped  him  in 
the  heat  of  his  anger.  There  was  a  wheel  within  a  wheel, 
then.  A  little  thing  of  Evert's?  Hardly  that.  Of  Hal- 
lett's?  Ah  —  Hallett!  Hallett  knew,  then,  that  he  had 
blocked  him  —  tried  to  block  him.  Eosebud  had  talked  ? 
That  was  conceivable,  of  course.  He  had  weighed  the 
possibility  of  this  against  other  factors  which  had  deter 
mined  his  course  of  action  toward  the  girl,  since  that  night 
last  June  when  he  had  first  discovered  her  position  in 
Mr.  Archer's  family,  and  learned  later  from  the  girl 
herself  her  determination  to  remain  with  Betty  after 
Betty's  marriage. 

"  Life's  little  ironies ! "  he  had  said  to  himself  with 
a  grim  sigh.  "  If  Betty  knew !  " 

From  that  day  he  had  set  his  feet  with'  resolute  manli 
ness  into  the  path  which  led  upward  to  the  higher  trail. 
"  Honor  —  Betty  —  duty,"  he  had  outlined  his  course, 
naming  his  incentives  in  the  order  in  which  he  saw  them ; 
and  had  then  sent  for  Benson,  who  came  promptly,  di 
vided  between  secret  amusement  and  a  due  consideration 
for  the  liberal  payment  which  he  received  for  his  attention 
to  Watson's  commands  in  regard  to  the  girl  Rosebud, 
whom  Benson  knew  as  the  daughter  of  one  of  Watson's 
clients. 

"  Rosy  's  beginning  to  feel  her  oats,  Mr.  Watson,"  he 
said  with  a  grin.  "  7  cayn't  do  nothing  with  her,  — 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  121 

nor  Lezie  cayn't;  les'n  you  are  minded  to  take  holt 
yerself,  she  '11  hev'  to  go  her  own  gait.  She  sez  she  doan't 
want  no  more  uv  no  white  man's  money  as  is  'shamed 
to  own  her !  She  'lows  she  kin  make  her  own  money  fum 
this  on.  And  she  sez"  -Benson  paused  to  laugh,  with 
vexed  humor  —  "  she  ain't  er  goin'  to  'sociate  with  niggers 
no  more,  neither  —  en'  she  upped  and  got  her  er  home  at 
Archer's  befo'  I  cud  more  'n  wink." 

Watson  listened,  his  stolid  calm  unbroken,  while  within 
a  sick  recoil,  a  cold  disgust,  wrenched  his  very  soul.  Yes; 
as  Benson  with  plain  sense  foretold,  the  time  had  come 
when  he  must  "  take  holt "  or  let  the  girl  go  her  own 
way  —  which  way,  by  evil  chance,  had  led  her  into  the 
home  of  the  woman  he  loved;  worse  —  under  the  cold, 
watchful  eye  of  Ben  Archer. 

"  I  thought,"  he  said  with  weary  disgust,  "  that  you 
had  found  her  reasonable  —  tractable?" 

"  As  good  as  gold,  sir ! "  answered  Benson,  and  his 
shrewd,  honest  face  underscored  the  words.  "'T  is  only 
sence  this  other  'nfluence  has  been  working  ergin  me  —  " 

Hugh  swung  fiercely  upon  him.  "  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 
he  said  sternly. 

"Mr.  Hallett  — " 

"  Hallett  ?     D his  impudence ! " 

Benson's  hard  face  showed  a  flicker  of  amusement. 
"  Impedence  ?  I  ain't  never  heard  it  called  impedence 
befo'  fur  er  white  man  —  She  's  just  er  y allow  gal,  you 
know,  Mr.  Watson.  Not  but  she  's  er  good  girl  —  I  ain't 
nothing  to  say  ergin  Rosy  —  and  she  's  got  more  sense 
than  any  er  her  kind  ever  7  see;  she  's  got  white  folkses' 
sense,  and  white  folkses'  ways,  abouten  most  things;  but 
I  ain't  never  seen  it  work  out  different  from  what  this 


122  THE    NORTHERNER 

here  's  er  working  out.  When  it  comes  to  yallow  gals  — 
they  're  all  alike,  and  they  're  all  rotten!  En,"  he  went 
on,  tracing  with  meditative  cane  the  pattern  of  the  office 
carpet,  not  lifting  his  face  to  Watson's,  "  en  you  might 
stuff  'em  with  eddication  untell  they  bust,  en  les'n  you 
kin  wipe  out  that  black  drop  in  'em  —  't  ain't  no  good, 
and  't  ain't  no  use ! " 

Watson  sat  like  a  statue,  his  hand  clinched  on  the 
desk  in  front  of  him,  as  the  old  man's  words  of  homely, 
irrefutable,  stinging  truth  sank  like  molten  lead  into  his 
shrinking  consciousness.  That  black  drop,  to  which 
Benson  referred  with  unvarnished  frankness,  seemed  to 
be  burning  its  way  through  the  living  tissues  of  his  brain, 
dropping  like  an  incandescent  plummet  through  to  his 
soul. 

"You  may  be  right,  Benson,"  he  said  at  last,  rousing 
himself,  "  doubtless  you  are ;  still,  in  this  case,  I  feel  it 
my  duty  —  " 

"Yer  duty  to  yer  client?  Ex-actly,  sir!  And  in  this 
case  —  I  doan't  say  nothing  ergin  Eosy,  mind  you  — 
Hallett  's  to  blame  —  cuss  him !  Why,  yes,  sir,"  in  reluc 
tant  assent  to  a  question  put  by  Watson,  "  it  's  pretty  well 
erlong,  sir,  I  should  say.  Lezie  's  er  ben  er  hiding  it 
fum  me  —  they  will  hide  fur  each  other  fum  white 
folkses.  Do  she  care?  I  think  so,  Mr.  Watson;  en  she 
would  n't  be  none  to  blame,  now  would  she,  sir?  Eosy 
ain't  nuthen  but  er  colored  gal  —  and  he !  —  What,  sir  ? 
A-h,  naw,  naw,  sir;  't  ain't  nuthen  on  his  part  but  jest 
tb/  usual  thing.  Yes,  sir,  you  're  right  about  that;  he 
is  crueler  then  most;  ur  he  looks  it." 

Watson  walked  the  length  of  the  room  and  back,  his 
heavy  brows  knitted  in  angry  thought. 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  123 

"Benson,"  he  said  at  last,  and  paused;  another  turn, 
and  then  another;  "send  Rosebud  —  you  call  her  Rose 
bud  still?  Well,  send  her  here  to  me  at  this  hour  to 
morrow.  Openly,  you  understand,  no  skulking;  she  has 
a  right  to  come.  I  have  money  of  hers  in  my  hands. 
...  I  '11  let  you  know  later." 

After  the  man  had  left  him,  he  still  paced,  with  restless 
feet,  the  narrow  confines  of  his  private  office,  in  grim 
counsel  with  his  most  implacable  client  —  his  own  rebel 
lious  soul. 

"  It  is  but  simple  justidfej"  he  told  himself ;  "  the  girl 
is  right.  If  our  positions  were  reversed,  I  should  take 
the  same  stand  that  she  has  taken.  I  have  no  right,  be 
cause  I  pay  —  no  moral  right  to  thrust  my  wishes  upon 
her,  to  order  her  life  to  suit  my  own  purposes.  Our 
mutual  relation  does  not  rest  upon  a  money  basis,  and 
she  perceives  that  it  does  not." 

The  next  day,  when  the  door  of  his  private  office  opened 
to  admit  Rosebud,  although  Watson  had  summoned  all 
of  his  stolid  passivity  to  meet  the  ordeal,  every  fiber  of 
his  consciousness  recoiled,  driven  back  before  a  wave  of 
sick  repulsion  under  the  situation  confronting  him.  Had 
the  girl's  fresh  and  comely  figure  been  the  scaled  form 
of  a  basilisk,  he  could  hardly  have  shrunk  with  more 
horror  than  he  did  from  her,  ?is  she  hesitated  upon  his 
threshold. 

"  Come  in,  Rosebud,"  he  said,  using  the  gentle  coldness 
cf  his  usual  manner  to  her.  They  had  met  many  times 
before,  the  girl  knowing  him  as  the  lawyer  who  managed 
her  affairs  for  the  "client"  whose  name  she  had  never 
heard. 


i24  THE    NORTHERNER 

She  remained  standing  near  the  door  timidly,  not  meet 
ing  the  glance  Hugh  bent  upon  her,  and  which,  it  seemed 
to  him,  took  cognizance  of  her  for  the  first  time  in  her 
life. 

The  girl  was  well  grown,  though  her  strong,  elastic 
figure  retained  the  soft  curves  of  childhood,  which  lin 
gered,  also,  in  the  tints  and  contour  of  her  face,  as  richly 
colored  as  a  dusky  rose.  The  dark  olive  of  her  com 
plexion,  coarsened  by  exposure,  deepened  upon  her  cheeks 
to  an  indefinite  richness  of  tint  which  was  not  rose  or 
scarlet,  but  a  softened  mingling  of  both ;  the  lips  of  her 
wide,  flexuous  mouth  were  a  clear  scarlet,  and  her  rich 
abundance  of  coarse,  chestnut-tinted  hair  was  parted  sim 
ply  above  her  brow,  whose  bold,  intellectual  development 
was  evident  at  a  glance.  She  had  the  straight  features 
of  her  Caucasian  ancestry,  infused  and  vivified  to  a  richer 
exuberance  of  nature  by  the  warm  blood  of  her  mother's 
race.  She  did  not  speak  in  answer,  to  Watson's  greeting, 
but  gazed  about  her  with  the  unabashed  curiosity  of  a 
child  tempered  by  a  visible  awe  of  Watson. 

"  Sit  down,"  he  said,  seeing  that  she  would  not  speak. 
"No,  nearer  the  desk  —  here." 

He  pushed  a  chair  toward  her,  and  :he  sank  into  it 
with  a  frightened  glance  which  he  mev  with  a  look  of 
keen  inspection.  She  was  already  on  her  guard,  he  saw. 
Over  her  frank  gaze  of  *a  moment  before  a  veil  of  cold 
reserve  had  fallen,  as  impenetrable  as  Hugh's  own;  her 
rich  color  had  paled  a  trifle,  and,  as  her  features  settled 
into  a  stolid  repose,  she  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  the 
man  who  faced  her  across  the  desk. 

"  Mr.  Benson  tells  me,  Kosebud,"  began  Watson  with 
blunt  directness,  "that  you  prefer  to  work  for  your  liv- 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  125 

ing  in  the  future;  to  make  a  life  for  yourself.  I  have 
sent  for  }'ou  to  know  from  your  own  lips  if  this  be  true, 
that  I  may  communicate  with  my  client  and  learn  what 
his  wishes  are  concerning  you." 

"  I  did  n't  want  to  live  with  colored  people ;  I  ?d  ruther 
work  fur  my  living  then  —  then  that."  She  spoke  timidly, 
but  with  an  underlying  note  of  firmness  which  would 
develop,  Hugh  felt  sure,  into  obstinacy  as  her  shyness 
wore  off. 

"  There  is  no  necessity  for  you  to  live  among  negroes 
if  you  prefer  not.  I  "  —  he  hesitated  a  moment  and  went 
firmly  on  —  "I  thought  it  best  —  but  let  that  go."  He 
leaned  across  the  desk,  looking  keenly,  but  with  the  same 
enforced  gentleness,  at  the  girl.  "  What  would  you  pre 
fer  to  do  with  yourself,  if  you  could  choose,  Bosebud?" 

"  Stay  with  Miss  Betty,  and  go  to  school,"  she  said 
with  smiling  promptness. 

Hugh  started  in  keen  vexation.  "  That  cannot  be,"  he 
said  with  harsh  decision ;  "  put  it  at  once  out  of  your 
mind." 

She  shrunk  dismayed  at  his  harsh  tone  for  a  moment, 
but  gathered  herself  together  with  a  gentle  dignity,  and, 
looking  firmly  at  him  from  eyes  that  matched  his  own, 
she  said  quietly: 

"  Do  it  —  does  it  rest  with  you,  Mr.  Hugh,  to  say  what 
I  can  do?  Supposen  I  breaks  off  with  this  —  this  white 
gentleman  as  is  your  client,  and  works  fur  my  own  liv- 
ing?" 

"  Did  you  not  know,"  asked  he  slowly,  "  that  Miss 
Archer  is  to  be  my  wife  in  January  ?  " 

A  rosy  smile  widened  Rosebud's  flexible  lips;  she 
glanced  roguishly  at  Watson.  "  I  knowed  you  was  Miss 


126  THE    NORTHERNER 

Betty's  beau.  You  would  n't  refuse  Miss  Betty  anything 
she  would  ask,  would  you?  And  she  'B  already  promised 
me  I  shall  stay  with  her  after  the  wedding.  What  would 
you  say  to  Miss  Betty  when  she  asked  why  I  had  to  go, 
Mr.  Hugh?" 

What,  indeed! 

"What  can  I  tell  this  — this  client ?" 

"  You  know  what  to  tell  him,  Mr.  Hugh,"  she  said  per 
suasively,  "  er  ef  you  don't,  just  say  I  don't  want  no  more 
er  his  money  —  that  I  can  make  my  own  living,  and  go 
my  own  way.  I  guess,"  she  added  with  the  obstinate 
smile  which  Hugh  had  half-expected  to  see,  "I  guess  he 
won't  bother  none  with  me." 

Watson  walked  to  the  window  and  remained  gazing 
Out  in  silence  for  a  space.  "  Why  are  you  so  set  against 
this  man,  your  father,  Rosebud  ?  "  he  asked,  with  his  face 
still  turned  to  the  window. 

"I  don't  know  as  I  am,"  she  said  slowly.  "It  was 
only  his  trying  to  part  me  from  Miss  Betty;  and  it 
don't  seem  fair,  nohow,  fur  him  to  order  me  erbout  ef 
—  ef  he  is  'shamed  to  own  me.  And  I  ain't  askin'  nothin' 
of  him.  I  don't  want  nothin'  he  's  got,  but  fur  him  to 
let  me  be." 

"  But  if  he  was  willing  to  own  you,  as  far  as  he  might ; 
if  you  knew  that  his  plans  for  you  were  for  your  own 
happiness  and  good;  in  short,  if  he  so  conducted  himself 
as  to  convince  you  that  he  meant  to  do  what  was  right 
by  you  —  not  only  now,  but  always  —  you  would  obey 
him,  and  recognize  his  right  to  order  your  life,  as  any 
man  has  a  right  to  order  his  daughter's  life  ?  " 

He  stood,  with  his  hand  in  his  trousers  pocket,  looking 
sternly  down  upon  her. 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  127 

"  Does  you  —  do  you  know  him,  Mr.  Hugh  ?  "  she  said 
softly. 

"Yes." 

"Is  he  er  gentleman,  er  sure-enough  gentleman?" 

Watson  gazed  at  her  fixedly,  a  streak  of  red  creeping 
slowly  into  his  pale  cheek.  "  I  hope  so,"  he  said  slowly ; 
"what  do  you  mean?" 

"  Do  he  go  in  style  ?  —  is  he  tony  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that !    Yes,  I  suppose  you  would  call  it  so." 

"But  ef  he  's  'shamed  of  me?" 

"You  do  not  understand.  And  yet,  you  should  know. 
You  must  know,  Eosebud,  that  there  are  circumstances, 
customs,  even  laws  —  both  written  and  unwritten  —  which 
neither  I  nor  this  other  man  can  change,  no  matter  how 
we  might  want  to,  which  would  prevent  his  doing  for  you 
openly  more  than  he  has  done.  You  should  be  just,  child, 
to  this  man  —  try  to  see  how  he  is  placed.  He  recognizes 
your  claim  upon  him  for  care,  protection,  support;  and, 
if  it  lay  in  his  power,  he  would  secure  happiness  for  you, 
I  do  not  doubt.  He  has  done,  and  he  will  do,  his  duty 
by  you  as  God  gives  it  to  him  to  see  it,  and  as  circum 
stances  which  he  cannot  alter  allow  him;  more  than  this 
he  cannot  do." 

He  stood  above  her,  looking  down  into  his  own  eyes, 
which  looked  back  at  him  in  dumb  question.  He  answered 
the  question :  "  Between  you  and  this  man,  Rosebud, 
though  you  are  his  daughter,  and  he  is  your  father,  there 
is  the  same  wall  of  race  —  caste  —  color  which  has  al 
ways  been  between  the  white  race  and  the  negro;  which 
will  always  be  there  so  long  as  the  world  stands  and  time 
is,  —  and  which  may  not  be  passed.  You  know  what  this 
means;  every  day  you  live  you  see  it  round  you;  every 


128  THE    NORTHERNER 

hour  that  you  will  live  in  the  future  it  will  be  at  your 
elbow." 

A  voiceless  question  formed  upon  her  half-opened  lips. 
He  answered  it :  "  Yes,  it  is  the  color  line.  And,  though 
you  do  not  remind  him  of  it,  that  man,  your  father, 
passed  it." 

He  dropped  into  his  seat  again,  leaned  over  the  desk, 
holding  her  eyes  steadily  with  his  own.  "  I  do  not  know 
how  far  a  girl  like  you  can  understand,  but  listen:  That 
was  a  sin  of  the  flesh,  you  know,  and  in  the  flesh  will  he 
repay.  But  in  the  spirit,  in  all  those  things  which  be 
long  to  his  higher  nature,  you  can  have  no  part.  Have 
you  understood  at  all  what  I  mean?  He  could  not  love 
you,  cherish  you;  his  very  nature  would  recoil.  It  is 
instinct,  child,  blood !  " 

A  slight  trembling  seized  the  girl,  her  rich  color  had 
faded  until  she  was  as  pale  as  he. 

"  Do  you  see  now  why  you  cannot  stay  with  Betty  ? 
That  it  would  bring  unhappiness,  trouble,  upon  her?" 

"  Yes,  oh,  yes,"  she  said  breathlessly,  "I  —  I  see !  " 

"  You  are  willing  to  obey  —  this  man  ?  " 

«0h,  yes,  yes!" 

"  Then  listen  again,  Rosebud."  Resuming  his  old  gen 
tleness,  he  entered  with  patient  detail  into  the  sketch 
of  the  life  he  had  planned  for  her:  the  college  in  the 
North,  the  higher  education,  the  wider  life ;  touching  with 
skilful  empbasis  upon  all  that  there  was  in  the  (to  her) 
unknown  life  of  the  mind,  of  books,  culture,  travel. 

Making  her  understand  that,  out  of  the  South,  she  was 
free  to  live  any  life  she  might  choose  with  the  income 
which  he  would  settle  upon  her,  he  led  her  gently  to  see 
that  work  —  mental  work,  the  broadening,  uplifting  of  the 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  129 

mind  —  would  lead  her  upward  from  the  bondage  of  the 
flesh  that  held  her  here.  He  talked  on  and  on;  and  she 
listened  with  a  tranced  interest,  with  childishly  clasped 
hands  and  glowing  face. 

He  won  her  consent  without  trouble,  and  she  rose  joy 
ously  to  leave  him,  but  he  motioned  her  to  her  seat. 

"  There  is  something  else,"  he  said ;  he  paused,  settled 
his  collar  as  though  it  choked  him,  but  took  up  resolutely 
the  ugly  task.  "  It  is  about  Mr.  Hallett,  Kosebud."  He 
was  regarding  her  with  stern  eyes,  but  she  met  them  with 
her  impenetrable  frankness ;  it  was  impossible  to  read  that 
limpid  gaze,  to  look  into  the  dark  corridors  of  indirection 
behind  it.  And  Hugh  gave  it  up. 

"  Mr.  Hallett  do  —  I  mean  does  —  come  sometimes ; 
Lezie  say  —  says  he  comes  to  see  about  his  laundry." 

"  You  will  not  go  to  Lezie's  cabin  again ;  nor  leave 
Mr.  Archer's  house  alone  until  I  am  ready  to  send  you 
off.  You  will  be  ready  to  go  by  the  first  of  September/' 
he  said  with  brief  authority,  and  she  murmured  gently, 
"Yes,  Mr.  Hugh." 

She  paused  beside  his  seat,  but  he  did  not  look  up. 

"  Go  now,"  he  said. 

"Shall  I  — shall  you  —  " 

"  No ;  Benson  will  come ;  Benson  will  take  you ;  but 
I  will  look  after  everything.  It  will  be  I  you  are  obey 
ing.  You  won't  forget  that?" 

"Good-by,  Mr.  Hugh." 

"  Good-by." 

In  the  months  which  had  intervened  between  his  inter 
view  with  her  and  the  coming  of  September,  Watson  had 
perfected  his  plans  for  Eosebud's  future  with  patient 


130  THE    NORTHERNER 

thoroughness,  looking  himself  into  every  detail  of  her 
life  in  the  college  which  he  had  selected  for  her  with 
minute,  painstaking  care;  satisfying  himself  that  the  en 
vironment  was  really  such  as  tended  to  develop  her  intel 
lectually  and  lay  the  foundation  for  the  life  which  he 
had  promised  her. 

And  as  the  days  wore  on  and  his  plans  fell  smoothly 
into  shape,  he  found  that  his  repugnance  to  the  task  had 
been  replaced  by  a  calm  satisfaction  in  the  course  which 
he  had  adopted. 

There  was  about  the  arrangement  of  these  final  details 
something  of  the  satisfaction  with  which  a  man  rings 
down  the  last  penny  of  a  debt,  under  which  he  has  sweated 
for  years,  upon  the  counter  of  his  creditor,  and  straightens 
his  back  in  the  serene  consciousness  that  he  is  his  own 
man  again. 

The  girl  herself  had  evinced  no  reluctance  to  meeting 
his  wishes;  she  had  acquiesced  with  gentle  readiness  in 
the  arrangements  made  for  her.  Benson  had  reported 
her  happy  and  interested  in  the  new  life  opening  before 
her.  She  had  answered  Watson's  letter  embodying  his 
final  instructions,  with  a  line  through  Benson;  a  stiff, 
childish  note  as  far  as  wording  and  intention,  written 
in  a  beautiful,  ornate  hand,  but  underlaid  by  the  note 
of  firmness  which  Hugh  had  detected  during  his  first 
interview  with  her,  and  to  which  he  had  unconsciously 
clung  as  an  anchor  to  windward  in  the  girl's  problematical 
future. 

Then,  without  warning,  had  come  the  amazing  check 
which  she  had  given  to  his  plans  for  her.  Adopting  a 
course  infinitely  simpler  and  more  effective  than  argu 
ment,  or  probably  futile  resistance,  she  had  failed  to 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  131 

keep  her  appointment  with  Benson;  she  slipped  from 
their  grasp  like  the  shadow  she  had  been  upon  Hugh's 
life, 

Through  his  agent  Watson  had  sought  for  some  trace 
of  her  for  weeks,  but  in  vain.  All  that  could  be  ascer 
tained  was  simply  that  she  had  left  Adairville  at  the  time, 
and  upon  the  train  designated,  and  had  not  arrived  at 
the  point  where  Benson  awaited  her;  that  was  all. 

"  Fool ! "  Hugh  had  told  himself,  with  a  grim  laugh. 
"  To  think  —  Lesby's  dust  —  had  she  lain  for  a  hundred 
years  dead,  a  grain  of  her  dust  could  outwit  me!  I  was 
a  fool  to  forget  it ! " 

Hallett's  bold  move,  the  hardly  restrained  triumph  of 
his  tone  and  glance,  had  given  Watson  the  first  clue  as 
to  the  girl's  disappearance.  That  suave  sentence  of  a 
dozen  words  had  done  its  work  with  absolute  thorough 
ness.  Hallett  knew,  then,  that  Eosebud  was  not  in  Ohio; 
and  he  knew  also  Hugh's  relationship  to  her. 

Plain  and  simple,  with  these  two  facts  in  his  posses 
sion,  Hallett's  game  lay  before  Watson.  It  was  being 
played  with  an  almost  nai've  simplicity,  and  so  boldly  as 
to  carry  assurance  that  he  counted  upon  success. 

Neither  Hallett  nor  General  Evert  was  an  antagonist 
whom  a  man  could  afford  to  underestimate.  Watson 
awarded  them  a  scornful  meed  of  admiration  for  the  deft 
ness  of  the  plot  which  had  entrapped  him.  Hallett  alone 
would  have  been  a  relatively  simple  problem ;  but  General 
Evert  as  a  component  complicated  the  conditions. 

General  Evert's  world  was  Hugh's  own;  Watson's 
friends  were  the  General's;  his  kin  the  General's  kin; 
through  his  intimacy  with  Mr.  Archer's  family  he  was 
woven  into  Hugh's  affairs  so  inextricably  as  to  be  a  dan- 


132  THE    NORTHERNER 

gerous  factor  in  anything  which  touched  his  relations 
with  the  family.  Watson  set  his  teeth  with  keen  exas 
peration  as  he  realized  his  helplessness.  The  very  inner 
sanctuary  of  his  affections  was  open  to  the  old  man's 
coolly  speculative  eyes  —  his  heart-strings  bare  to  his 
remorseless  manipulation. 

Hallett  had  made  a  skilful  cast,  and  the  loops  of  the 
lariat  were  taut  about  him.  Turn  as  he  would,  Hugh 
felt  about  his  feet  the  double  cord  which  bound  him: 
Falls  and  Falls's  affairs  one  strand,  and  the  other,  Betty ! 

To  cut  loose  from  Falls's  affairs  and  lend  his  name 
to  the  new  company  being  organized  to  freeze  him  — 
if  that  were  all! 

That  would  be,  of  course,  the  form  of  the  demand; 
but  Hugh  knew  his  world  too  well,  had  too  shrewd  a 
knowledge  of  the  men  he  dealt  with,  to  suppose  for  a 
moment  that  they  would  content  themselves  with  aught 
less  than  the  pound  of  flesh  —  weight  for  weight. 

There  was,  too,  the  personal  equation  to  be  solved  with 
both  Hallett  and  Evert.  Hugh  recalled  the  railroad  mat 
ters  of  which  General  Evert  had  made  mention  to  Hallett, 
and  the  bad  hour  he  had  put  the  old  man  through  when 
he  had  sweated  his  nefarious  dealings  from  him  on  the  wit 
ness-stand  by  a  process  of  slow  torture  comparable  to 
which  St.  Lawrence's  gridiron  would  have  seemed  a  bed 
of  roses.  It  was  as  little  likely  that  the  General  had 
forgotten  it  as  that  he  would  forego  his  revenge. 

The  real  meaning  of  that  demand  would  be,  in  brief 
and  brutal  terms,  to  deliver  Falls  into  their  hands  to 
be  stripped.  And  the  price  of  his  refusal  to  suborn  his 
honor  to  his  client  —  Betty. 

On  the  black  curtain   of  that  windless  winter  night 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  133 

Watson  saw,  "as  in  a  mirror  moving  darkly,"  the  brief 
drama  of  his  love  move  on,  scene  after  scene,  to  its  bitter 
finale. 

There  would  be,  as  Hallett  had  said,  nothing  spectac 
ular.  Old  Ben  Archer,  that  clean-living,  self-righteous 
Presbyterian,  would  be  the  instrument  of  fate.  There 
would  be  a  talk  between  the  two  old  men,  friends  of  a 
lifetime,  in  which  there  would  be  no  unseemly  triumph 
ing  upon  Evert's  part,  no  faintest  hint  of  any  extraneous 
motive;  but  with  calm  ruthlessness,  touching  this  one 
blotted  page  in  Hugh's  otherwise  clean  record,  what  facts 
he  had  would  be  placed  in  Archer's  hands,  without  com 
ment,  or,  possibly,  with  a  quiet  word  of  warning  drawn 
from  the  fate  of  some  other  woman  whom  they  both  knew. 

Watson  started  up  under  the  intolerable  smart  of  the 
thought.  Sooner  would  he  cast  Betty  under  the  hoofs 
of  the  half-wild  cattle  which  came  trooping  through  each 
spring  and  fall  from  the  mountain  pastures,  and  trust 
to  them  for  mercy,  than  give  her  heart  and  her  sweet, 
unsullied  mind  into  the  hands  of  those  two  old  men, 
armed  with  the  ruthless  righteousness  of  a  sacred  duty 
to  perform. 

Only  of  late  had  he  been  admitted  to  the  clean,  sweet, 
narrow  cell  of  Betty's  mind;  and  its  virgin  austerity  had 
at  once  appalled  and  charmed  him.  A  hard  shudder 
shook  him  now  as,  with  prophetic  eyes,  he  saw  laid  bare 
under  the  fierce,  white  light  of  her  indignant  maiden 
hood  the  black  fungus  of  that  old  dead  lust.  He  saw 
himself  in  the  years  of  their  life  together,  looking  into 
her  clear  eyes,  knowing  that  just  behind  their  blue  lay 
the  leprosy  of  this  knowledge.  .  .  .  God  in  heaven  —  no! 

Betty's  charm  for  Watson  was  not  in  the  least  a  spiritual 


134  THE    NORTHERNER 

or  an  intellectual  one;  the  girl  was  neither  the  one  nor 
the  other ;  she  was  of  the  earth  —  sweetly,  unconsciously 
of  the  earth,  as  the  blue  fringed  gentian  is  of  the  soil 
in  which  it  grows. 

What  he  saw  in  her  was  the  sublimated  essence  of  a 
perfect  physical  purity;  very  human,  very  womanly,  and 
the  exact  complement  of  his  own  nature.  The  cool  shal 
lows  of  Betty's  nature  were  refreshment  to  Hugh's  soul; 
her  passionless  reserves  thrilled  him  as  no  other  woman's 
warmth  could  have  done.  Her  beauty,  her  calm,  charm 
ing  dullness,  the  colorless  polish  of  her  social  bearing, 
pleased  his  fastidious  taste.  He  read  her  mind  as  he 
would  have  read  the  brief  formula  of  some  well-known 
process  couched  in  plain  terms  of  scientific  brevity.  Bet 
ty's  nature  was  the  kind  of  script  whose  sense  the  eye 
gathers  with  a  glance. 

Watson  knew  that  neither  imagination  nor  spiritual 
elation  would  color  her  judgment  of  him;  with  Betty 
always  it  was 

"...  the  low  sun  gives  the  color." 

From  the  serene  heights  of  an  intellectual  freedom,  and 
with  her  power  of  impersonal  abstraction,  Joan  might 
forgive  —  not  so  Betty. 

A  more  spiritual  woman  than  Betty,  uncomprehending, 
might  forgive  utterly;    but  Betty  had  the  kinship  with 
earth  which  would  reveal,   interpret  to  her  with  every  ; 
eloquent  tongue  in  nature  the  crime  against  her  —  against 
their  mutual  love  —  of  which  he  stood  confessed. 

No  merciful  uncertainty  tempered  the  pitiless  logic  of 
Watson's  reasoning;  his  despairing  eyes  sought  for  no 
rainbow  of  hope  spanning  the  mists  of  Betty's  tears. 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  135 

The  storm  would  pass;  her  eyes  would  smile  again  in 
their  clear,  unchanging  blue  —  but  for  others,  never 
again  for  him.  He  knew  the  swift  recoil  of  race  and 
blood  and  caste,  the  physical  repulsion,  the  pitiless 
scorn  and  hate  which  is  written,  as  he  himself  had  de- 
'  fined  it  for  Falls,  "  in  the  very  blood  and  bones,  the  fiber 
of  the  mind,  the  texture  of  the  soul,"  of  the  white 
people  of  the  South  against  the  negro  race.  Had  it  not 
risen  up  and  choked  him  over  and  over  again;  did  it 
not  throb  in  him  now  with  sick  disgust  and  horror ! 

Watson  was  a  clever  lawyer,  a  great  criminal  lawyer; 
for  years  he  had  tracked  human  passions  as  African  hunt 
ers  track  the  soft-footed  beasts  of  the  jungles.  Countless 
times  he  had  seen  the  sweat  of  anguish  break  out  on 
lip  and  forehead  of  some  man  stretched  upon  the  rack 
of  his  pitiless  examination;  he  had  watched  the  dumb 
writhing  of  the  tortured  soul  under  his  calm  vivisection, 
as  his  probe  sank  deeper,  searching  for  that  gangrened 
spot  so  decently  covered  from  the  sight  of  the  world,  — 
so  safe  under  the  spotless  reputation. 

God!  had  it  hurt  like  this?  Had  those  poor  devils, 
while  he  broke  them  upon  the  wheel,  seen  some  woman's 
eyes  looking  into  those  hidden  places  of  their  hearts  laid 
bare  under  his  scalpel?  Had  they  seen,  as  he  was  seeing 
now,  the  angel-light  in  those  eyes  go  out,  quenched  by 

'  that  black  drop  which  he  had  probed  for  —  and  found? 

I  Watson  bared  his  head  to  the  cold  air  of  midnight  that 
hung  motionless  about  him;  no  sound  of  human  life 
reached  him,  though  he  was  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
town. 

Alone  with  himself  as  under  the  action  of  an  alche- 
mistic  draft,  mind  and  substance  separated;  Watson,  the 


136  THE    NORTHERNER 

man,  stood  humbly  before  the  mind,  and  sued  for  counsel 

—  respite. 

From  the  oak-tree  came  a  sound  of  dumb  straining; 
and  to  Watson  it  seemed  the  sound  of  his  own  striving. 
In  the  very  core  of  the  darkness,  which  seemed  to  flow 
off  from  his  figure  in  waves,  his  brain  was  awake;  back 
and  forth  it  wove,  seeking  amid  the  tangled  web  of  cir 
cumstance  the  master  knot  which  held  the  whole.  It  must 
be  there! 

Hallett  played  with  loaded  dice,  Watson  felt  sure.  The 
coercive  note  in  the  invitation  to  join  the  Cumberland 
Gas  Company,  the  veiled  threat  in  old  Evert's  manner 

—  all  was  plain  now,  and  all  pointed  inexorably  to  the 
possession   of  material   proof.     Not   again   would  Hugh 
underestimate  Hallett  as  an  adversary. 

The  question  was  now  simply  what  he  held.  Eosebud's 
word?  The  drifting  leaves  afloat  upon  the  midnight  air 
would  weigh  as  much  with  any  one  whom  Hallett  would 
desire  to  influence. 

Narrowed  to  its  ultimate  conclusion,  the  letter  stared 
Watson  in  the  face.  That  fatal  moment  of  yielding  to 
his  self-imposed  duty  of  restitution!  That  signature  — 
no  extenuation  could  touch  it;  no  palliation  lessen  it8 
damning  evidence ! 

Watson  rose  at  last  from  his  dark  seat,  stiff  and  cold, 
and  his  mind,  so  long  bent  to  the  tension  of  intense 
thought,  sprung  back  to  the  normal  with  a  snap.  He 
laughed  as  he  stretched  his  stiffened  muscles. 

" '  Be  good  if  you  can  be  good ;  but  if  you  can't,  be 
careful/  What  is  left  me  ?  There  are,  then :  finesse,  which 
in  this  case  means  plain  burglary  —  pah!  brute  force  — 
and  Falls!"  A  sudden  warmth,  a  thrill  of  hope,  shot 


THOU    SHALT    NOT  137 

through  the  man's  tired  frame  as  the  thought  of  Falls 
came  to  him. 

Almost  it  was  as  though  Falls  had  reached  from  out 
the  dank  cold  of  the  wintry  dawn  and  grasped  him  with 
a  warm,  firm  hand,  leading  mm  back  to  life  and  manhood 
again. 


XI 

ALIEN ! 

DECEMBEK'S  peevish  sulks  soon  wore  off,  and  the 
lovely  shrew  smiled  again,  a  chill,  radiant  smile  from 
a  sky  like  clear,  blue  ice,  under  which  the  valley  of  the 
Tennessee  glittered  like  a  jeweled  flower  from  end  to  end. 

From  the  car-window,  as  the  long  trip  back  to  Ala 
bama  neared  its  end,  Falls  marked  its  icy  smile  with 
bitter  eyes.  A  cold  repugnance  to  Adairville  and  its  peo 
ple  had  seized  upon  him.  He  strove  in  fierce  revolt  against 
the  meshes  of  the  net  about  him,  yet  honor,  duty,  busi 
ness  integrity,  the  very  forces  of  his  own  unbending  na 
ture,  held  him  to  his  purpose;  every  tough,  inflexible, 
fighting  instinct  in  the  man  rose  and  armed  itself  to  the 
unequal  fight  —  a  fight  in  which  he  stood  opposed  not 
alone  to  Adairville  and  its  twenty  thousand  people,  but 
to  the  crowding  ranks  of  importunate  memories.  The 
town  saw  in  Falls's  bold,  assertive  presence,  heard  in  his 
masterful  tones,  the  incarnate  spirit  of  the  power  which 
had  oppressed  them,  pillaged  them,  drenched  their  land 
in  blood  and  tears,  and  broken  the  proudest  spirit  on 
earth. 

But  there  was  mutiny  in  Falls's  own  ranks.  If  his 
revolt  against  the  meshes  of  circumstance  had  baen  fierce, 
his  revolt  against  himself  had  been  fiercer  yet.  Again 
and  again  in  those  weeks  of  turmoil  which  had  succeeded 

138 


ALIEN!  139 

upon  the  attempt  to  ruin  him  by  the  treacherous  wreck 
ing  of  his  machinery,  the  thought  of  Joan  had  come  to 
him,  and  again  and  again  had  he  thrust  it  savagely  away. 
She  was  a  part  of  the  town ;  of  the  people  who  hated  him 
—  whom  he  hated ;  they  were  her  friends,  her  kindred, 
and  he  ?  He  was  alien  to  it  and  —  to  her.  Madness,  folly, 
weakness,  to  dream  it  could  be  otherwise.  Suppose  he 
could  tear  her  from  them  —  bind  her  to  his  own  heart  — 
would  it  not  be  the  old  losing  fight  of  the  individual 
against  the  type  —  the  transient  flame  of  human  passion 
opposed  to  an  unswerving  natural  law,  the  force  of  racial 
instinct  ? 

His  tired  nerves  revenged  themselves  cruelly  upon  him 
during  the  enforced  quiet  of  the  railway  journey,  for  the 
unremitting  strain  of  the  past  weeks.  Over  and  over  he 
lost  himself  in  dreams  of  Joan,  —  her  lips,  her  eyes,  her 
warm  breath  on  his  cheek,  —  only  to  lash  himself  anew 
into  harsh  scorn  for  his  puerile  folly.  And  Watson's 
proffered  friendship?  As  Falls  saw  it  now,  it  was  of  a 
piece  with  the  town.  He  would  have  none  of  it. 

Noon  of  the  next  day  found  Falls  in  his  office  at  the 
power-house,  with  a  pile  of  mail  before  him,  which,  with 
the  aid  of  a  gasping  stenographer  at  his  side,  he  was 
reducing  to  two  orderly  piles  of  letters,  one  for  the  mail 
and  the  other  for  the  file.  His  eyes,  sweeping  the  valley 
road  upon  the  mountainside,  caught  a  glint  of  sunlight 
upon  the  burnished  flank  of  a  bright  bay  horse  which 
carried  a  slender  figure;  a  gleam  of  gold  showed  beneath 
the  riding-hat;  there  was  a  familiar  turn  of  the  graceful 
head. 

Cummings,  with  his  pencil  suspended,  awaited  the  last 


140  THE    NORTHERNER 

curt  sentence  of  the  letter;  but  he  heard  instead  the 
rattle  of  the  telephone  as  Falls  snatched  it  from  its  rest: 

"  Robinson's  livery-stable,  please.  .  .  .  Falls  —  send  my 
horse  out  right  away;  and,  Mat  —  that  you?  All  right; 
if  you  get  him  here  in  ten  minutes  there  will  be  a  dollar 
for  you  with  Cummings." 

"  Ah,  —  Cummings,"  said  Falls  to  the  stenographer, 
"  er  —  I  'm  a  little  pressed  for  time  this  afternoon ;  just 
leave  this  mail  over." 

And  Cummings,  discreetly  blind  to  the  picture  still 
in  full  view  from  the  window,  slowly  climbing  the  moun 
tain  road,  hoped  Mr.  Falls  would  have  a  pleasant  ride. 

"  Cummings  is  inside  —  three  minutes  to  spare,  thank 
you,  Mat."  Falls  swung  himself  into  the  saddle,  looked 
behind  to  see  that  the  road  was  clear  of  spectators,  and 
put  the  black  horse  straight  at  the  board  fence  which 
separated  the  street  from  the  open  common ;  riding  across 
country,  he  took  rail-fences  and  gullies  as  they  showed 
up,  in  an  air  line  for  the  mountain  road. 

Mat,  his  dollar  rattling  in  solitary  grandeur  in  his 
baggy  breeches-pocket,  grinned  his  admiration,  and  turned 
a  leering  eye  upon  Cummings. 

"Ain't  that  er  Miss  Jone  'Dair?  What  's  Falls  er 
chasing  after  her  fur  ?  Do  she  look  at  him  enny  ?  " 

"Naw,"  said  Cummings  in  magnificent  disdain,  "he  's 
just  wasting  his  time.  She  's  the  toniest  girl  in  town; 
she  would  n't  hare  nuthen'  to  do  with  no  d Yankee !  " 

With  tender  solicitude  for  her  beautiful  terra-cotta  bay, 
Joan  was  allowing  him  to  climb  the  steep  road  at  his  own 
sweet  will,  the  reins  loose  upon  his  neck. 

From  the  crest  of  the  first  hill  she  could  see  the  build 
ings  of  the  power  plant,  a  crude  blotch  of  color  against 


ALIEN!  141 

the  dull  green  of  the  belt  of  cedars  intervening.  She 
smiled  as  her  eyes  lingered  upon  their  bare,  hideous  out 
line,  thinking  of  how  much  those  jumbled  masses  had 
come  to  mean  to  her,  infused  as  they  seemed  to  be  with 
Falls's  own  strong  personality.  Falls  and  his  plant  had 
come  to  be  indissolubly  linked  together  in  her  mind. 
She  had  watched  the  duel  between  him  and  his  crippled 
plant  against  the  town  with  breathless  interest  and  a 
partisanship  which  each  day  grew  more  shyly  tender. 
She  awoke  at  night  and  listened  for  the  panting  of  his 
engines  across  the  hill,  with  his  face  before  her  on  the 
black  curtain  of  the  night.  Falls  had  scarcely  been 
absent  from  her  mind  since  the  night  she  had  told  him 
she  was  on  his  side  —  the  side  of  fair  play  and  the  best 
man.  And  she  was  thinking  of  him  as  she  rode. 

At  the  top  of  the  first  wide  step  to  the  mountain  Joan 
settled  herself  more  firmly  in  her  saddle,  and  gave  Eitchie 
a  tiny  love-lick  across  his  shining  flank.  At  the  same 
moment  there  was  a  clatter  of  hoofs  behind  her,  and  she 
half-turned  her  head. 

"  Who  's  coming,  Ritchie  ?  Whoa,  I  say,  whoa,  sir !  — 
Till  I  see- 

Falls  waved  his  cap  to  her  in  gay  salute,  and  a  moment 
after  ranged  the  black  horse  beside  Ritchie,  regardless 
of  the  tatter's  superciliously  arched  neck  and  curling 
lip. 

"  I  did  n't  know  you  were  home,"  she  said;  her  radiant 
eyes,  her  smiling  lips,  the  joyous  lilt  in  her  voice,  all  bid 
ding  him  be  glad  he  was. 

" '  Home,' "  thought  Falls  in  grim  commentary,  while 
she  went  on : 

"  I  could  not  think  who  it  could  be  coming  at  such 


142  THE    NORTHERNER 

a  pace.  Why,  I  would  n't  even  dr-e-a-m  of  asking  Ritchie 
to  get  out  of  a  walk  over  that  bit  of  road,  and  this  big, 
lovely  fellow  did  n't  even  turn  a  hair ! " 

"  Eitchie  is  a  lady's  pet  —  a  spoiled  darling.  Joe  knew 
when  he  came  to  me  that,  if  he  was  to  carry  me,  it  meant 
work." 

"Are  you  riding  for  exercise,  or  are  you  going  some 
where  ? "  Joan  asked  as  the  horses  settled  to  the  next 
rise. 

"  I  'm  going  somewhere  —  I  suppose.  You  seem  to  be 
headed  for  somewhere.  I  'm  going  wherever  you  are 
going." 

There  was  a  light  in  Falls's  handsome  eyes  which  Joan 
had  never  seen  there  before,  and  his  grave  lips  were 
smiling. 

"  I  'm  going  to  the  mountain  house  to  look  after  things 
a  little,"  she  informed  him  with  a  businesslike  air  that 
amused  Falls,  although  his  face,  turned  to  her,  was  dis 
creetly  grave  as  he  listened.  "  Father  likes  the  house 
kept  in  order,  so  if  any  time  he  fancies  going  up  for 
a  week,  it  will  be  ready.  So  every  little  bit  I  ride  up, 
just  to  let  Lethe  know  that  I  have  an  eye  upon  her  and 
what  she  would  call  her  '  goings  on.' '; 

The  horses  climbed  with  strong,  easy  strides  the  steep 
road  that,  twisting  like  a  snake,  ran  along  the  mountain 
side  between  stunted  cedars  and  masses  of  cool  gray  rocks. 
The  girl  bravely  kept  up  her  light  chatter,  though  the 
mute  language  of  Falls's  steady  eyes  was  waking  the 
sleepy  roses  in  her  cheeks  more  effectively  than  the  bracing 
air  bad  done. 

She  was  telling  him  brightly  of  the  approaching  Christ 
mas  gaieties,  including  him  tacitly,  with  gentle  tact, 


ALIEN!  143 

in  it  all;  confiding  to  him  with  her  sweet  matter-of-fact- 
ness  the  "times"  she  was  having  with  the  preparations 
for  her  own  Christmas  party. 

"  I  mailed  your  card  —  "    Her  eyes  questioned  him. 

"  Thank  you,  yes ;  I  have  it  here  —  "  Falls  touched 
the  pocket  of  his  coat,  meeting  her  eyes  with  a  look  of 
tender  gravity. 

He  would  not  come.  In  the  reticence  of  his  glance 
Joan  read  the  refusal  which  Falls's  lips  would  not  utter; 
and  a  wave  of  disappointment,  of  pity,  of  generous  indig 
nation,  rose  in  her  throat  in  a  choking  sob.  He  meant 
to  cut  himself  off,  then,  before  .  .  .  Joan  looked  straight 
ahead,  a  sudden  mist  of  tears  blotting  out  the  white  road. 
.  .  .  And  she  had  thought  he  did  not  know,  did  not  care. 
She  knew  now  how  well  he  knew,  and  how  much  he 
cared ! 

Falls  had  seen  the  mist  in  the  lovely  eyes,  the  sob  climb 
up  in  the  girl's  white  throat,  while  he  fought  down  the 
impulse  to  tell  her  all;  to  tell  her  that  he  cared  only 
because  it  kept  him  from  her. 

"  I  'm  coming  to  the  Dixie  Club  ball,"  he  said  gently, 
at  last;  and,  leaning  over,  he  stroked  Eitchie's  shoulder 
with  a  strong  caress.  "  That  is,  I  am  coming  if  it  is 
plainly  understood  between  us  now  that  I  am  to  have 
a  waltz,  a  whole  one?  I  hate  those  fragmentary  waltzes. 
—  Yes?" 

"Yes;   and  a  whole  one." 

"And  one  later?" 

Joan  demurred.  Falls  was  firm.  "  N"o  tag-end !  I  want 
it  all  to  myself  and  until  the  music  stops." 

"  I  '11  tell  you,"  said  Joan,  "  I  '11  bet  you  the  second 
one  that  Ritchie  can  beat  Joe  to  the  second  toll-gate." 


144  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Done !  "  cried  Falls.     "  Till  the  music  stops  ?  " 

"  Till  the  music  stops." 

A  smooth  road  as  hard  as  asphalt  lay  before  them 
for  half  a  mile  unbroken  by  an  obstacle,  and  slightly 
inclining  downward  to  the  next  abrupt  ascent,  at  the  bot 
tom  of  which  lay  the  second  toll-gate. 

"  Make  Joe  toe  the  line.  The  shadow  of  that  limb ; 
no  fudging ! "  cried  Joan  gaily,  backing  Eitchie  until  his 
reluctant  fore  feet  rested  upon  the  bar  of  shade  which 
fell  across  the  road. 

"  Shall  I  give  you  a  length  or  two  ? "  asked  Falls, 
magnificently  disdainful,  though  his  quick  glance  had 
measured  Eitchie's  racing  points  with  misgiving. 

"  Perish  the  thought !  No,  indeed ;  I  'm  going  to  beat 
you,  fair  field  and  no  favor.  One,  two,  three ! " 

Side  by  side  for  the  first  hundred  yards  the  two  horses 
swept  down  the  incline,  Eitchie  willing  enough  to  exert 
himself,  now  that  there  was  a  man  and  a  horse  to  look 
on,  —  to  make  it  worth  his  while,  —  in  fact,  leading  by 
half  a  head.  The  keen  air,  straight  in  their  faces,  sang 
past  their  ears.  The  landscape  was  a  painted  panorama 
of  purple  peaks  and  misty  ranges,  of  stiff,  dark  cedars 
and  swaying  pine-tops,  the  whole  revolving  about  them 
•with  a  noiseless  rush.  The  white  road  flowed  backward 
from  the  horses'  pounding  hoofs  like  a  white  ribbon  un 
rolled  from  the  peaks  ahead  of  them. 

Eitchie  was  leading  half  a  length  when  a  third  of  the 
distance  had  been  traversed.  Joan  could  see  the  clear 
red  of  Joe's  straining  nostril  level  with  her  shoulder. 
A  second  later  Falls's  hand  upon  the  rein  came  into  sight, 
then  a  bit  of  his  gray  sleeve.  He  was  gaining.  Falls 
was  riding  hard,  in  grim  earnest,  putting  the  black  horse 


ALIEN!  145 

up  to  all  he  knew,  trusting  to  the  laziness  of  the  petted 
darling,  which  Joan  rode,  to  give  him  the  race  in  the 
end. 

And  Falls  was  right.  Almost  at  the  moment  when  the 
black  horse  begun  to  forge  ahead,  Joan  felt  beneath  her 
her  horse's  slackening  muscles. 

What  was  the  good,  Kitchie  had  decided  within  him 
self,  of  this  unseemly  haste?  He  could  beat  that  black 
brute;  he  knew  it,  and  Joe  was  a  fool  if  he  did  not  know 
it,  also.  Was  not  that  enough?  It  seemed  that  it  was 
not,  and  to  the  end  of  his  days  Kitchie  never  forgot  that 
bit  of  specious  reasoning. 

Joan,  his  tender,  his  solicitous  mistress,  the  dispenser 
of  loaf-sugar  and  kisses,  —  incredible,  amazing !  —  was 
laying  her  riding-whip  across  those  sacred,  shining  flanks 
of  his  in  such  vigorous  persuasion  as  made  Falls  sway  in 
his  saddle  with  laughter  to  see. 

Amazed,  indignant,  smarting  under  the  indignity  of 
the  lash  and  the  pain  of  the  blows,  Ritchie  gathered  his 
supple  body  together  in  a  bound  like  a  stag's,  stretching 
his  dainty  racer's  head  and  supple  length  along  the  ground 
until  his  red-gold  body  skimmed  the  road  like  a  fire 
brand  carried  swiftly  through  the  night. 

For  the  remaining  distance  to  the  goal  he  left  Joe 
behind  him  by  three  times  his  own  length. 

The  rush  through  the  cold  air  had  been  like  wine  in 
Falls's  veins;  his  dark  cheek  showed  a  streak  of  color, 
his  somber  eyes  were  alight  with  the  joy  of  the  hour. 

He  stood  beside  her  laughing,  the  care-free  laughter  of 
a  boy,  holding  out  his  hand  in  congratulation.  Joan 
struck  her  slender  gauntlet  across  his  palm  with  the  frank 
emphasis  of  good-fellowship. 


146  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Was  n't  it  glorious  ?  And  is  n't  Ritchie  a  p-e-rf ect 
d-a-rling ! "  Joan  leaned  from  her  saddle  and  flung  both 
arms  about  the  horse's  arching  neck  in  a  hug  of  sweet 
abandon.  And  Ritchie  turned  his  graceful  head  aside, 
deprecating  such  public  demonstration,  in  his  embarrass 
ment  nipping  Joe  viciously.  ^  * 

The  sun  was  warm  on  their  shoulders,  the  murmurous 
sounds  of  the  pines  like  an  organ  note  underlying  the 
lighter  sounds  of  the  winter  woods  about  them.  A  flight 
of  wild  geese  passed  overhead,  traveling  south  in  wedge- 
shaped  formation. 

"  That  is  a  good  sign,"  said  Joan ;  "  it  means  cold 
weather.  I  hate  a  muggy  Christmas  —  don't  you?" 

"  Yes.  .  .  .  You  broke  into  my  confidences  about  the 
Dixie  Club  ball  with  our  race.  Did  you  intend  to  prevent 
my  asking  you  to  let  me  go  with  you  —  purposely?  I 
am  afraid  I  am  late,  but  if  by  any  happy  chance  you  are 
disengaged  —  " 

"  But  I  am  not !  "  she  said  gently.  "  '  Prevent  you '  ? 
What  nonsense!  I  should  have  been  ch-a-rmed,  simply 
ch-a-rmed!  But  Mark  Caldwell,  a  friend  of  Hugh's,  is 
here;  in  fact,  he  came  all  the  way  from  New  Orleans  on 
purpose.  He  is  Alabama's  Chief  Justice,  you  know,  and 
—  very  well  worth  while,  in  spite  of  it.  I  made  the  en 
gagement  quite  a  bit  ago."  She  spoke  eagerly,  as  though 
to  take  the  sting  out  of  her  refusal  by  showing  how  com 
pletely  it  had  been  out  of  her  power  to  go  with  him. 

Falls  leaned  over  to  her  horse  to  tighten  the  girth. 

"  Mr.  Caldwell  is  quite  welcome  to  his  innings,"  he 
said  coolly.  "  I  have  to-day."  He  was  quite  close  to  her 
as  he  slipped  the  strap  through  and  pushed  hard  home 
the  buckle.  He  looked  deep  into  her  eyes,  his  own  grave 


ALIEN!  147 

again  and  a  little  somber,  as  he  finished  speaking :  "  I 
would  not  give  this  for  a  dozen  balls  —  would  you  ?  " 

The  last  two  words  were  uttered  low  and  wistfully. 
His  nearness  agitated  her.  Already  to-day  she  had  been 
dangerously  near  self-betrayal;  she  had  just  refused  him 
his  request,  understanding,  too,  all  the  circumstances  that 
had  led  him  to  make  it,  sympathizing  keenly  with  him  in 
the  manly  stand  he  was  taking  against  the  town  which 
meant  to  ostracize  him;  dreading  for  him,  she  knew  not 
why,  the  ordeal  of  the  Dixie  Club  ball.  It  was  impossible 
to  refuse  this  one  drop  of  balm  to  his  heart. 

"  No,"  she  whispered,  and,  rallying  instantly,  added 
serenely :  "  I  prefer  out-of-doors  always ;  I  like  the  open 
air  more  than  any  indoor  amusement." 

"  Really,  you  know,"  she  went  on  after  a  moment  of 
silence,  "  really,  it  is  Betty's  place  to  go  with  Mr.  Cald- 
well  —  as  Hugh's  fiancee;  he  is  Hugh's  college  chum. 
But  Buckley  Shirley,  you  know!  He  was  Betty's  cousin, 
or  something  —  Betty  is  kin  to  half  the  town ;  it  is  often 
—  er  —  inconvenient." 

"  Buckley  Shirley  ?  "  echoed  Falls.  "  I  seem  to  know 
the  name  but  I  can't  place  it  — " 

"  He  is  Lanier  Shirley's  son ;  the  banker,  you  know  ? 
And  —  he  is  the  man  who  threw  Will-Henry  off  the  car 
that  day  —  " 

"  Ah  —  that  roistering  young  cub !  What  has  he  been 
doing  now  that  Miss  Archer  must  stop  away  from  the 
ball?" 

Falls  was  speaking  lightly,  and  Joan  looked  at  him 
with  grave  surprise. 

"  Have  n't  you  heard  ?  Oh,  I  had  forgotten ;  you  have 
been  away.  When  did  you  get  in,  Mr.  Falls?" 


148  THE    NORTHERNER 

Falls  was  puzzled  by  her  gravity,  but  answered  directly : 
"  At  daylight  this  morning.  1  slept  until  noon,  and 
lunched  in  my  room  and  went  on  to  the  office  without 
seeing  any  one  but  the  waiter  who  served  me." 

"  Buckle}"  has  been  murdered  —  " 

"Murdered?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Joan  gravely,  "  murdered !  It  was  p-e-r- 
fectly  shocking!  Such  a  grief  to  his  family;  they  are 
lovely  people." 

She  paused,  flushing  under  the  glance  of  quiet  irony 
which  Falls  turned  upon  her,  but  meeting  his  glance  stead 
ily  with  her  own.  "  I  know  —  what  you  mean,  and  I  do 
not  defend  Buckley.  He  was  a  grief  to  his  family;  but 
they  feel  this  all  the  more  because  of  that.  The  Shirleys 
are  kin  to  half  the  State,  and  we  all  —  all  their  friends 
—  feel  deeply  for  them ;  the  whole  town  is  excited  —  " 

Falls  laughed  with  rasping  scorn,  and,  raising  his 
whip,  cut  sharply  at  an  unoffending  weed  upon  the  road 
side.  "  More  hysterics  ?  I  have  never  before  encountered 
a  community  so  subject  to  '  nerves '  as  the  Adairville 
public." 

They  rode  in  silence  for  a  minute;  the  sharp  clicking 
of  the  horses'  feet  upon  the  rocky  road,  a  far-off  call  for 
cattle  in  the  valley  at  their  feet  alone  breaking  the  silence. 
They  were  almost  upon  the  summit  of  the  long  "  razor 
backed  "  ridge  before  Falls  spoke  again. 

"  Buckley  Shirley,"  he  said  with  level-voiced  delibera 
tion,  "  was  the  most  consummate  scoundrel  that  I  have 
ever  met ;  he  was  too  vile  for  human  belief  —  almost. 
It  shocks  me  beyond  words  to  hear  his  name  upon  your 
lips.  ...  If  he  has  met  the  fate  which  beyond  question 
he  merited,  why  should  it  concern  me,  or  any  other  decent 


ALIEN!  149 

man?  Let  the  courts  look  to  it  that  his  murderer  is 
punished,  if  they  can  convict  him.  Why,  in  the  name 
of  reason  and  common  sense,  should  public  opinion  go 
into  spasms  over  it  ?  " 

Falls  looked  back,  as  he  finished  speaking,  to  where,  far 
below,  Adairville  lay  in  her  nest  of  low,  green  hills, 
wrapped  in  the  blue  haze  of  distance  like  a  city  in  a  dream. 
To  the  south  the  river  curved  like  a  silver  simitar  between 
her  and  the  world;  while  above  the  veil  of  mist,  sus 
pended  between  the  blue  of  earth  and  the  blue  of  heaven, 
the  great  cross  upon  the  spire  of  the  church  of  "  The 
Brotherhood  of  Christ"  hung  like  a  covenant. 

Falls  raised  his  whip  and  pointed  to  it  with  a  smile 
of  cutting  scorn :  " '  Put  ye  on  the  whole  armor  of  right 
eousness  ! '  —  Adairville  is  panoplied  with  cross  and 
sworn  to  enforce  the  '  brotherhood  of  Christ.' ': 

As  Falls  let  fall  his  arm,  Joan  leaned  from  her  saddle 
and  laid  her  gloved  hand  upon  it  with  quietly  imperative 
grasp.  The  color  had  slipped  from  her  cheeks. 

"  Are  you  mad  ? "  she  cried,  in  a  low,  tense  voice. 
"  Promise  —  promise  me  here  —  that  you  will  not  say 
those  dreadful  things  again.  Those  things  about  Buckley 
and  Adairville ! " 

There  was  appeal,  almost  anger  in  her  eyes.  And  Falls 
remembered,  with  swift  remorse,  how  much  this  might 
mean  to  her.  This  was  her  home;  these  people  were  her 
friends  —  her  kin,  for  all  he  knew. 

"  I  'm  a  brute,"  he  cried,  and  grasped  in  his  own  the 
hand  that  still  rested  trembling,  insistent,  upon  his 
sleeve. 

She  drew  her  hand  from  his  with  quiet  decision;  and 
once  more  Ritchie  felt  that  keen  lash  across  his  shining 


150  THE    NORTHERNER 

flanks,  as  she  sent  him  on  far  in  advance  of  Falls  and 
Joe. 

Ritchie  absolutely  refusing  to  mend  his  snail's  pace 
at  the  next  rise,  Falls  overtook  them,  and  leaning  over 
laid  his  hand  firmly  upon  Joan's  rein. 

"You  are  not  going  to  run  away  from  me  again/'  he 
said  quietly,  in  answer  to  her  indignant  glance.  "  Not 
until  I  know  that  you  have  forgiven  me,  that  you  are 
not  angry  with  me!  Eeally,  I  had  no  idea  I  was  such 
a  vindictive  brute ! " 

"Angry?  Of  course  I  'm  not  angry,"  Joan  said  se 
renely.  "  Ah,  here  is  the  gate  of  my  castle ! "  she  added, 
waving  her  hand  toward  the  wide  iron  gates  that  Falls 
now  dismounted  to  open.  The  gates  led  into  an  open 
lawn  or  a  series  of  lawns  stretching  away  upon  one  side 
to  the  brow  of  the  range,  upon  the  other  to  the  woods, 
and  buried  just  now  beneath  a  brilliant  blanket  of  drifted 
leaves,  which  kept  up  a  continual  whirling,  ghostly  dance 
about  the  horses'  feet. 

Falls  captured  a  handful  of  the  painted  fugitives  and 
passed  them  up  to  Joan,  who  selected  one  of  fuchsia- 
tinted  purple  and  red  for  her  own  coat,  and,  leaning  from 
her  saddle,  gave  Falls  back  a  maple-leaf  which  glowed 
a  clear  scarlet  from  tip  to  stem.  She  sat  in  her  elevated 
seat  and  gravely  contemplated  the  effect  of  it  in  his  but 
tonhole  with  lifted  chin  and  lowered  lashes  —  as  though 
he  had  been  a  dress  pattern  of  a  particularly  difficult 
shade. 

"You  are  too  dark  to  wear  gray,"  she  pronounced  at 
last,  still  surveying  him  with  serene,  abstracted  eyes,  — 
"too  dark  for  unrelieved  gray,  you  know.  "With  a  dash 
of  color,  now,  you  m-i-ght  venture." 


ALIEN!  151 

This  was  the  phase  in  which  Falls  found  the  girl  most 
charming;  but  he  did  not  speak  in  answer;  he  did  not 
even  smile;  but  in  his  grave  face,  lifted  to  her  own,  was 
epitomized  the  whole  immortal  message  of  sex.  Alone  in 
the  still  reaches  of  this  upper  world,  the  girl  had  cast 
off,  as  though  it  had  been  a  too  elaborate  garment,  the 
suave  polish  of  her  every-day  manner,  and  was  sweetly, 
frankly  woman. 

They  had  crossed  the  ridge,  and  the  long,  narrow  val 
ley —  cove,  Joan  called  it  —  upon  the  other  side  of  the 
range  lay  before  them. 

"  This  is  Lost  Cove."  Joan  pointed  with  her  whip. 
"  Those  mountains  across  there  bound  Dixie  on  the  north ; 
all  beyond  is  Yankee-land."  She  turned  her  laughing  eyes 
on  Falls.  "  Don't  you  pine  for  your  own  land  ?  " 

"Not  now;  all  that  I  pine  for  now  is  on  this  side  of 
the  Cumberlands." 

"  But  when  you  have  made  your  pile  — " 

"If  I  could  take  my  —  my  treasure,  you  know,  with 
me  —  " 

"Ah!"  Joan  laughed  lightly,  "that  is  what  all  the 
iYankees  do.  They  come  to  Alabama,  or  to  Mississippi, 
or  Texas  —  anywhere,  and  '  realize  their  capital/  and  then 
go  back  to  the  North  to  spend  it." 

"  I  should  not  spend  mine,"  Falls  said  slowly. 

"Not—?" 

"  No ;  I  should  hoard  it  —  cherish  it !  "  Falls  leaned 
upon  Joe's  strong  shoulder,  looking  off  across  the  cove 
to  where  range  after  range  receded  into  the  sky-line,  with 
wisps  of  pearly  vapor  clinging  to  their  sides. 

"  Lambs  of  the  sky,"  said  Joan,  pointing  them  out  to 
Falls;  "they  will  go  to  bed  directly;  they  sleep  over 


152  THE    NORTHERNER 

there  on  'Coon  Top.  I  've  seen  them  go  to  bed  lots  of 
nights  and  get  up  lots  of  mornings.  And  they  are  dread 
fully,  dreadfully  lazy  some  mornings!  I  've  known  them 
to  stay  cuddled  up  there  all  day  long.  .  .  .  Oh,  Lethe, 
is  that  you?  Come  in,  Mr.  Falls,  while  I  decide  what 
I  will  do  with  you  while  Lethe  and  I  transact  busi 
ness." 

In  the  end  she  took  him  with  her,  and  together  they 
visited  every  nook  and  cranny  of  the  small  farm,  Falls 
making  himself  useful  with  his  deft  strength,  showing 
a  matter-of-fact  interest  in  every  detail  of  its  manage 
ment  which  rivaled  Joan's  own. 

It  had  grown  colder  as  the  afternoon  advanced,  and 
a  great  fire  of  hickory  logs  was  suffusing  the  hall  with 
dancing,  rosy  light  when  they  reached  it.  Joan  dropped 
a  little  wearily  into  a  chair  in  the  pleasant  warmth,  and 
drew  off  her  stiff  hat. 

"If  I  only  had  something  to  eat,  I  should  be  at  peace 
•with  the  world!  Are  not  you  dying  of  hunger,  Mr. 
Falls?" 

"  I  'm  hungry,"  Falls  conceded,  "  but  I  might  make  it 
back  to  town  —  " 

"  Le-the ! "  called  Joan  plaintively,  "  is  there  anything 
here  to  eat?" 

"  Des  cawn-pone,"  said  Lethe,  appearing,  seemingly 
materialized  from  the  shadows  at  the  rear  of  the  hall. 

"Good!"  cried  Falls,  "I  love  it!" 

"What  else,  Lethe?" 

"  An'  sweet  'taters." 

"  Food  for  the  gods !    We  '11  roast  them  in  the  ashes  —  " 

"Des  already  cooked,"  said  Lethe,  reprovingly;  "Fee 
dun  cooked  urn  wid  de  possum." 


ALIEN!  153 

"  Possum !  Oh,  Lethe !  this  is  too  del-i-cious !  "  cried 
Joan  rapturously.  "  A  possum  supper !  " 

Fatigue  forgotten,  she  flung  off  her  riding-coat,  pinned 
up  her  habit,  and  went  lightly  about  the  preparations  for 
supper ;  to  and  fro  from  kitchen  to  dining-room  and  back 
to  the  hall,  where  the  table  was  set  and  supper  was  to 
be  served  in  the  glow  of  the  roaring  log-fire. 

"  Can't  I  help  ?  "  asked  Falls. 

"  No ;  you  may  play  about  till  supper  is  ready.  I  '11 
call  you." 

When  she  called  him  a  few  minutes  later,  Falls  returned 
from  the  gallery,  bearing  aloft  upon  his  shoulder  a  laugh 
ing,  crowing,  brown  piccaninny,  whose  roly-poly  form 
was  clad  in  a  brief  red  garment,  and  a  pair  of  immense 
gold  earrings. 

She  was  a  pretty  creature,  like  the  warm,  furry,  brown 
things  one  finds  in  the  woods  in  winter,  whose  bright  eyes 
shine  with  shy  friendliness  as  they  vanish  down  a  hollow 
log  or  an  opening  in  the  dark  earth. 

She  sat  securely  upon  Falls's  broad  shoulder,  serenely 
unabashed,  one  chubby  brown  fist  grasping  his  immaculate 
locks,  —  whose  parting  had  constrained  even  Betty's  re 
luctant  admiration !  —  her  white  milk  teeth  shining  in  a 
wide  smile  of  universal  friendship,  her  eyes  like  black 
flowers  glowing  with  mirth  as  she  sought  among  the 
shadows  in  the  lower  hall  for  her  mother. 

"  See  what  I  have,  Miss  Adair !  I  found  it  out  there 
rolling  about  in  the  leaves.  Here,  sit  still,  you  little 
Hindoo  god ! "  The  tot  upon  his  shoulder  had  begun  to 
hammer  her  pink  heels  upon  his  chest  in  a  lively  tattoo 
at  the  sight  of  the  flames.  "Is  n't  she  a  dream  of  a 
'coon  baby?" 


154  THE    NORTHERNER 

He  advanced,  as  he  spoke,  within  the  circle  of  fire  and 
lamplight,  tossing  the  little  creature  into  the  air  and 
catching  her  strongly,  while  she  laughed  her  gurgling 
laugh  of  sheer  rapture,  her  great  eyes  shining.  Joan  did 
not  answer,  and  Falls,  smiling  broadly,  turned  toward 
her. 

Joan  stood  motionless  beside  the  table,  her  slight  figure 
drawn  haughtily  to  its  full  height  and  rigid  with  amazed 
disgust.  In  her  eyes,  resting  upon  Falls's  face,  was  a 
dawning  fear  and  pain,  a  piteous  appeal  to  him  against 
himself,  mingled  with  indignant  protest  against  this 
affront  to  her. 

The  uncomprehended  anguish  of  her  eyes  pierced  Falls 
like  a  rapier,  and  he  lowered  the  child  mechanically  to 
his  arm,  holding  her  carelessly  in  his  strong  grasp  as 
he  might  a  kitten. 

Lethe  emerged  swiftly  from  the  shadows  of  the  hall 
with  soft,  thudding  steps.  With  instant  comprehension, 
she  took  the  situation  at  once  in  hand  with  the  inimitable 
tactfulness  of  her  race. 

"Lawd  Gawd  A'might,  Ad-lade,  wut  yu'  doing  in  dat 
w'ite  gemmen's  lap?  Jes'  yu'  gin  'er  to  her  mammy  A 
sur ! "  She  took  the  baby  from  Falls's  unconscious  grasp 
and  spanked  her  softly,  with  a  gust  of  silent  laughter. 

"  Dish  'er  de  f  orwa'dest  nigger  on  dis  yearth !  I 
dunno  w'ut  I'se  gine  do  wid  ?er ! "  A  turn  of  her  eye 
showed  Joan  to  her,  busy  at  the  table  in  the  dining-room 
beyond;  she  laid  her  fat  brown  hand  on  Falls's  sleeve 
with  a  soothing  pat;  he  might  have  been  ten  years  old 
and  she  about  to  soothe  some  childish  woe  with  a  stolen 
cookie. 

"  Doan  yu'  fret  yo'se'f  nun,  honey !     Lethe  gine  to 


ALIEN!  155 

'splain  dish  'er  sit'cheration.  Yu'  never  meant  no  harm; 
'tis  jis'  yo'  Yankee  ways;  but  dey"  she  motioned  back 
ward  fo  the  dining-room  and  Joan,  "  dey  cayn't  bide  no 
sich ! "  She  smiled  a  wide,  toothless  smile  of  amiable 
derision.  "  Dey  ain't  never  larnt  —  wid  all  dey  knows 
bouten  niggers  —  dat  de  black  won't  rub  off  on  'em! 
Yu'  g'  long  'n'  ex'cise  yo'se'f  on  de  gal'ry  some  befo* 
supper.  Lethe  gine  'splain  to  Miss  Jone." 

Falls  strode  the  length  of  the  gallery  and  back,  and 
back  again,  his  hands  clasped  together  behind  him,  his 
head  bent  in  thought;  he  was  conscious  of  a  dull  ache, 
a  baffled,  spiritless  pain  unlike  the  fierce  tumult  of  his 
anger  after  the  accident  to  his  plant,  when  he  had  sought 
to  put  the  girl  out  of  his  heart.  This  was  different  — 
inexplicable. 

"  What  is  this  thing  thrusting  itself  between  us  ? " 
he  mused  hotly.  "  She  has  been  so  near  me  to-day !  Yet 
twice  it  has  come  between  us;  I  saw  it  in  her  eyes  out 
there  on  the  hill." 

"'No"  he  said  with  a  sharp  intake  of  his  breath,  "no; 
this  is  not  nerves  —  it  goes  deeper ;  there  is  reason  behind 
it  —  something  I  do  not  know.  But  I  will  know !  There 
was  fear  in  her  eyes  both  times  —  fear  for  me." 

He  turned  back  to  the  door,  and  met  her  upon  the 
threshold,  carrying  a  great  platter  of  brown  loaves. 

"  Supper  ? "  he  asked  gaily,  with  a  resolute  adoption 
of  his  usual  manner. 

"  Yes ;    I  was  coming  for  you." 

Upon  the  dainty  table,  set  forth  upon  faultless  damask 
and  served  in  exquisite  china,  was  the  simple  fare  Lethe 
had  promised.  The  possum,  like  a  wee,  wee  pig,  reposed 
in  a  nest  of  golden  yams  dripping  with  butter,  upon  the 


156  THE    NORTHERNER 

platter  in  front  of  Falls;  and  upon  a  corresponding  one 
in  front  of  Joan  was  a  pile  of  golden-brown  corn  dodgers, 
rich  and  flaky,  with  the  prints  of  Lethe's  supple  fingers 
upon  their  tops. 

"  That  marks  them  sterling/'  Joan  explained.  "  Corn 
dodgers  which  are  smooth  on  top  are  an  infringement  upon 
the  patent,  —  fraudulent  imitations  unworthy  the  name." 

The  little  feast  went  rather  gravely  on.  Falls  ate  his 
possum  with  the  appetite  which  the  ride  in  the  cold  air 
had  given  him,  but  the  racy,  wild  flavor  of  the  little  wood 
land  creature  might  have  been  the  tamest  of  domestic 
fowls  for  all  the  cognizance  his  palate  took  of  it.  The 
quiet  hour,  the  ruddy  hearth;  the  girl  opposite  him, 
in  her  simple,  unconventional  dress,  with  bright  hair, 
loosened  by  the  ride,  about  her  face,  which  was  softened 
and  pensive  with  fatigue;  the  close,  warm  intimacy  of 
the  moment  filled  Falls  as  with  a  draught  of  drugged 
wine.  He  answered  mechanically  her  desultory  talk,  while 
in  the  background  of  his  mind  he  dreamed  an  intoxicat 
ing  dream  of  love,  —  a  longing  dream  of  home. 

"  You  shall  have  your  coffee  with  all  possible  elegance," 
said  Joan,  as  they  rose  from  the  table,  "  to  atone  for  any 
slight  deficiency  in  the  viands."  And  she  served  him 
herself  from  a  beautiful  old  silver  urn,  in  a  cup  of  egg 
shell  china  of  clear  Nankeen  yellow,  with  a  humming-bird 
poised  for  a  handle. 

Presently  Joan  rose  and  looked  about  for  her  coat, 
calling  to  Lethe. 

"  Not  yet !  "  Falls  pleaded,  his  watch  in  his  hand.  "  I 
have  been  making  this  calculation  for  an  hour  past.  See, 
it  will  take  only  thirty  or  forty  minutes  to  ride  down; 
it  will  be  quite  light  still  — " 


ALIEN!  157 

"An'  de  moon  's  bright  ez  day,"  said  Lethe  from  the 
doorway. 

"  Just  a  minute,  then,"  consented  Joan,  and  sank  into 
^he  long  chair  which  Falls  was  heaping  with  cushions 
for  her.  "  I  really  am  dreadfully  tiud  —  tired,  I  mean," 
as  Falls  laughed. 

"  Rest  a  bit,  then  —  and  then  I  '11  take  you  down  and 
give  you  up  to  them." 

"  To  whom,  if  you  please  ?  Whom  are  you  proposing 
to  turn  me  over  to,  —  the  authorities?" 

"  Your  people,"  he  answered  steadily ;  "  my  hour  is 
over." 

"  Don't  think  it,"  Joan  cried  with  forced  lightness ; 
"and  while  it  is  still  with  us,  Mr.  Falls,  I  —  I  rather 
wanted  to  speak  —  to  finish  speaking  —  about  Buckley 
Shirley." 

Falls  shifted  his  position  slightly  so  as  to  interpose 
his  shoulder  between  her  face  and  the  too  ardent  glow 
of  the  fire.  Leaning  across  the  low  arm  of  her  chair, 
he  could  see  that  her  eyes  were  troubled  still. 

"  I  want  to  give  you  the  details  of  poor  Buck's  —  Ah, 
let  me  call  him  that  now!  We  were  tiny  tots  together 
—  Buck  and  I.  Do  you  remember  a  tall,  rather  tumbled- 
down  old  brick  house  on  the  left  of  Jeff  Davis  Avenue, 
Mr.  Falls?" 

"  I  think  so." 

"  It  used  to  be  a  school.  We  all  went  there  as  we 
•came  on  —  even  in  Hugh's  day  it  was  there;  and  Buck 
Shirley  and  I  came  on  together.  I  can  see  myself  now. 
I  wore  long  aprons  down  to  the  bottom  of  my  frock,  and 
a  long  plait  down  my  back.  Buck  used  to  call  me  '  fraid- 
cat '  and  make  me  cry,  but  I  admired  him  beyond  any- 


158  THE    NORTHERNER 

body.  He  was  a  quaint  creature.  He  could  make  all 
sorts  of  wonderful  things  that  would  go,  you  know,  —  mills 
that  went  round,  and  railroad  cars  that  could  run  along 
the  desks.  ...  I  want  to  tell  you  before  any  one  else 
can  —  before  you  go  back  to  town." 

Falls  started  in  sharp  surprise;  and  she  took  his  strong 
wrist  into  the  clasp  of  one  of  her  hands  and  held  him 
firmly  while  she  went  on  speaking :  "  There  may  be  noth 
ing  in  what  I  am  going  to  say;  I  have  wondered  if  I 
ought  to  speak  at  all  — " 

"  This  has  been  troubling  you  all  afternoon/'  said  Falls 
gently.  "  Best  pass  it  on  to  me ;  that  will  get  it  off 
of  your  mind." 

"  Well,  you  see  it  was  like  this :  Buckley  was  murdered 
—  killed  by  two  men  near  that  cane-brake  on  the  road  to 
Lintonia.  I  don't  know  how  they  know,  but  every  one 
seems  to  know  that  he  was  set  upon.  They  say  it  was 
a  plot." 

"  Well  ?  The  millennium  does  not  yet  reign  in  Alabama. 
Have  not  men  been  assassinated  in  Holmes  County  be 
fore?" 

"But  they  think  it  was  Will-Henry,  Mr.  Falls.  It 
was  Buckley  who  threw  him  off  the  car.  .  .  .  The  negroes 
have  been  secretly  excited  all  along  over  that  affair,  and 
now  this  murder  —  " 

Falls  was  listening  now,  absorbed  in  thought,  and  un 
conscious  for  the  moment  that  the  light  touch  upon  his 
wrist  had  been  withdrawn.  "  I  see,"  he  said  at  last 
quietly ;  "  have  any  arrests  been  made  ?  What  circum 
stance  directed  suspicion  to  Will-Henry,  other  than  the 
fact  that  he  is  a  negro,  and  because  of  the  street-car 
matter?" 


ALIEN!  159 

"  Some  one  saw  him  slinking  about  in  Blackbird  Hol 
low  at  Melindys  cabin  several  days  before." 

"  Is  that  all  —  is  that  all  the  evidence  they  have  against 
the  poor  devil?  Xo  jury  on  earth  would  — " 

Joan  sat  upright  among  her  pillows  with  wide,  startled 
eyes  fixed  on  Falls.  "  Jury  ?  "  she  echoed,  a  trembling 
smile  touching  her  lips  for  a  second.  "  What  was  it 
Hugh  called  you  that  night  at  Hillcrest  —  so  long  ago 
now?" 

"  '  An  innocent  Yankee/  was  it  not  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  you  are,  too.  There  are  hundreds  of  men 
out  hunting  Will-Henry.  They  have  bloodhounds  with 
them  —  "  Joan  shivered  in  the  warm  glow  of  the  hearth. 

"If  they  catch  him,"  she  went  on  gravely,  " they  will 
not  stop  to  try  him;  they  will  just  hang  him  without 
any  judge  or  jury  or  —  or  anything,  —  a  mob,  you  know." 

"  Lynch  him  ? "  inquired  Falls  grimly.  "  I  've  read 
of  such  things.  Yet  it  is  simply  incredible  that  such 
things  as  one  reads  of  could  happen  here,  in  Adairville. 
A  remote  country  village  might  let  itself  lapse  into  bar 
barism  temporarily;  but  hardly  a  town  the  size  of  this; 
with  courts  and  with  men  of  influence  —  men  who  are 
known  outside  of  Alabama  —  resident  here." 

"  But  such  men  are  only  one  or  two  against  the  whole 
of  Holmes  County." 

"  Does  Holmes  County  take  a  hand  also  ?  " 

"They  are  far,  far  worse  than  the  townspeople;  more 
ignorant  and  more  prejudiced  against  the  negroes." 

"  Naturally,  as  they  have  more  to  do  with  them.  You 
are  suspiciously  well  up  in  mob  etiquette  yourself,  it 
seems  to  me.  Surely  nothing  like  this  has  happened  in 
your  day?" 


160  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Since  I  can  remember,"  she  answered  slowly,  a  sudden 
pallor  whitening  her  lips  and  cheeks,  "  since  I  can  remem 
ber  there  have  been  live  men  hung  by  mobs  right  here 
in  Adairville  —  in  the  court-house  yard,  in  the  very  center 
of  town  —  two  of  them  white  men !  " 

"  What  insane  folly  allowed  a  tender  child  like  you  to 
know  such  things?"  cried  Falls  sternly. 

"  Hugh  was  out  of  town,  and  father  did  not  know ; 
and  when  I  passed  through  town  on  my  way  to  school, 
they  were  hanging  still,  —  three  of  them,  —  stiff  and 
stark,  all  bloody,  to  a  tree!  They  had  shot  them,  you 
know,  after  —  after  —  " 

Joan  was  trembling  at  the  gruesome  memory  and  by 
her  new  terror  for  him. 

Falls  bent  pitifully  over  her.  This,  then,  was  the  spec 
ter  which  had  haunted  her  all  afternoon. 

"  Don't ! "  he  pleaded,  "  don't  think  of  such  horrors. 
They  cannot  touch  your  life,  —  those  you  love,  —  drive 
them  from  your  mind."  With  her  clinging  hand  safe 
in  his  own  broad  palm,  Falls  bent  over  Joan,  arguing 
gently  with  her,  pointing  out  the  improbability  of  any 
trouble  resulting  from  Will-Henry's  capture. 

"  They  may  find  the  guilty  man,  you  know,  and  Will- 
Henry  go  free.  There  will  be  no  danger  to  me.  I  am 
not  a  helpless  negro  without  friends  or  money.  I  could 
not  be  jerked  up  without  a  trial  — " 

"  WTiat  could  you  do  against  three  hundred  men,  armed, 
—  in  the  dark  night,  —  and  you  all  alone?" 

Falls  laughed  grimly.  "  I  think  I  might  account  for 
a  dozen  or  two  of  the  stuff  that  Alabama  mobs  are 
made  of. 

"  I  'm  going  to  take  you  home  now/'  he  added ;   "  the 


ALIEN!  161 

air,  the  motion,  will  give  you  back  your  nerve.  But  one 
question,  first  —  if  I  may?" 

She  met  his  eyes  steadily;  hers  were  full  of  trouble, 
but  they  did  not  falter.  "  I  know  what  it  is,"  she  said 
quietly,  "  but  —  yes,  ask  it." 

"  It  is  better  to  thrash  it  all  out  now,  while  we  are 
on  the  subject,  and  then  forever  and  a  day  forget  it. 
Don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  Perhaps,"  she  murmured  doubtfully. 

"  Tell  me "  —  Falls's  deep  voice  was  scarcely  above 
a  whisper,  and  there  trembled  through  it  a  caressing  note 
which  wooed  her,  and  woke  her  to  fresh  sorrow  at  once 
— "  tell  me  why  were  you  so  startled,  pained,  when  I 
rode  the  brown  baby  on  my  shoulder?  .  .  .  No,"  he  said, 
gently  firm,  "  no  temporizing.  Tell  me  all  —  or  tell 
me  that  you  will  not  toll  me  anything." 

Flushed  and  distressed,  Joan  felt  at  bay  under  his  eyes, 
which  held  her  like  a  spell.  As  she  looked  into  the  face 
bending  over  her,  proud,  manly,  tender,  —  the  high-bred, 
cool  abstraction  of  his  ordinary  bearing  betrayed  even 
in  the  stress  of  the  moment,  —  she  flushed  with  shame  at 
the  thought  of  the  cruel  injustice  which  she  had  done  him 
when,  in  the  grip  of  the  fierce  repulsion  of  race  prejudice, 
she  had  seen  in  his  simple  act  a  distorted  shadow  of  the 
grim  bogey,  that  lifelong  training  and  centuries  of  pre 
natal  influences  had  wrought  like  an  atavism  into  the 
very  fabric  of  her  brain.  She  struggled  to  find  words  of 
explanation  —  of  apology ;  words  with  which  to  make  him 
understand  that  it  was  not  she  who  had  condemned  him, 
but  a  something  which  lived  within  her;  words  to  de 
scribe  the  uncontrollable  physical  repulsion  —  born  in 
her  blood,  nurtured  in  her  mind,  and  breathed  in  with  the 


162  THE    NORTHERNER 

air  that  nourished  her  —  which  was  yet  not  her  con 
scious  will  nor  active  intelligence. 

If  he  could  only  know  —  if  she  could  but  make  him 
understand  —  the  horror  which  had  gripped  her  like  a  vise 
when  he  had  betrayed  that  he  did  not  share  her  prejudice 
of  color  —  of  caste,  did  not  feel  the  physical  repugnance 
which  she  herself  felt,  and  the  lack  of  which  she  had  been 
reared  to  regard  with  loathing,  he  would  forgive  her.  .  .  . 
She  must  —  must  try  to  tell  him. 

Joan  had  recovered,  almost  at  once,  her  mental  poise, 
which  had  been  so  roughly  shaken  under  the  recoil  of 
instinct  and  habit  of  thought.  Her  mind  had  found 
swift  excuse  for  Falls's  act,  had  ranged  in  order  every 
fact  in  his  defense;  she  knew  intuitively  what  must  be 
his  mental  attitude  to  this  thing  which  had  so  distressed 
her. 

Falls,  reading  her  face  as  it  were  an  open  page,  felt 
the  dull  ache  come  back  to  his  heart,  the  cold  mist  which 
he  could  not  thrust  away  creeping  in  between  them  again. 
"  Alien !  "  he  said  to  himself  in  bitter  thought  —  "  alien ! " 

Joan  spoke  at  last,  in  a  whisper,  and  Falls  bent  his 
ear  to  catch  it.  "  I  cannot  —  cannot  tell  you/'  she  sobbed. 
"  I  should  die  of  shame !  " 

"You  need  not,"  he  said  gently;  "you  need  not  —  I 
know!" 


XII 

WITHOUT  BENEFIT  OF   CLERGY 

(TT^HE  clerk  handed  Falls  a  note  from  Hugh,  on  his 
JL   arrival  at  the  hotel  after  his  ride  to  the  mountain. 

"I've  been  trying  to  get  on  your  trail  all  day,"  it  read,  "I've 
traveled  miles  in  elevators  chasing  you  ! 

"I  must  see  you  at  once.  Better  come  to  my  place  to-night  on 
your  way  in." 

"HUGH." 

Watson's  sitting-room  was  comfortably  filled  with  smoke 
as  Falls  entered,  and  Hugh,  flanked  and  buttressed  by 
orderly  piles  of  papers  plainly  untouched,  sat  at  his  desk. 
He  was  wearing  his  glasses,  and  greeted  Falls  with  a 
genial  smile  of  welcome. 

Falls's  chair  was  ready,  his  favorite  pipe  and  tobacco- 
jar  conveniently  near.  He  dropped  into  his  chair,  filled 
his  pipe  and  lighted  it.  Then  he  leaned  back  with  a 
sigh  of  content,  puffing  abstractedly. 

Hugh's  gaze,  searching  and  oddly  without  humor, 
roused  him  at  last,  and  he  turned  toward  him  with  a 
smile:  "Well?" 

Falls  started  in  amazement.  "You  Jve  been  ill,  Chal- 
lie?" 

"  No,"  said  Hugh,  his  eyes  upon  the  papers  which 
he  sorted  methodically  —  unseeingly,  "not  ill  in  the  way 

163 


1 64  THE    NORTHERNER 

you  mean;  yet  ill  enough,  God  knows,  if  it  comes  to 
that ! " 

Falls  brought  down  his  hand  with  earnest  emphasis 
upon  the  arm  of  his  chair.  "  I  knew  there  was  something 
wrong.  But  I  thought  it  was  with  me  —  my  vexatious 
affairs,  as  usual.  I  see  it  is  with  you,  Hugh  ?  " 

He  leaned  forward,  his  pipe  in  his  hand,  alert,  intent; 
strung  with  keen  interest,  with  earnest  partisanship,  con 
scious  at  the  moment  that  somehow,  in  the  last  few  min 
utes,  their  positions  had  become  reversed.  Heretofore 
Watson's  clever  hand  had  deftly  steered  Falls's  craft  amid 
the  shoals  and  breakers  of  his  own  familiar  home  waters; 
now,  Falls  perceived,  the  time  had  come  when  he  must 
put  forth  his  own  capable  hand  to  bring  his  friend's  craft 
head  to  the  wind.  On  the  instant  his  decision  was  taken; 
he  had  reviewed  the  possible  trend  of  affairs  and  braced 
himself  for  action  before  he  spoke  again. 

"  Tell  me,"  he  said  simply ;  "  my  matters  can  stand 
over." 

"  I  'm  going  to  tell  you ;  that  is  why  I  have  sent  for 
you;  but  your  matters  can't  stand  over,  Falls.  We  '11 
have  to  take  'em  on  together;  it  's  too  late  to  unwind 
them  —  even  if  we  could.  Things  are  tangled  up  — 
damnably!  Listen:  I  'm  in  the  devil  of  a  mess!  I  'm 
learning,  experimentally,  the  meaning  of  your  term, 
*  squeezing ' ;  only  the  process  I  'm  undergoing  does  not 
stop  there." 

"  Money  ?  "  asked  Falls  gently. 

"  No." 

"  Ah  —  a  woman !  " 

"Yes;   two." 

"  The  devil !     Who  's  turning  the  screw  ?  " 


WITHOUT   BENEFIT    OF    CLERGY  165 

"  Hallett,  d him !     He  and  the  rest  of  his  gang/' 

"  Ah ! "  said  Falls  again,  this  time  with  clearer  com 
prehension.  "  Hallett/'  Falls  began,  and  paused  in  scorn 
too  deep  for  words.  "  It  would  be  odd,  Hugh,  if  you 
and  I  together  could  not  block  any  game  that  Hallett 
could  put  up !  " 

For  a  second  Watson's  unquenchable  humor  shone  out. 
"  Together !  We  two  together  ?  Aye,  that  's  the  very  crux 
of  the  matter,  Gregory !  That  is  where  he  is  putting  the 
screw  —  to  choke  me  off  from  your  affairs.  To  muzzle 
me,  in  fact,  to  tie  my  hands  in  the  courts.  This  thing 
is  quite  melodramatic  when  you  're  on  the  inside,  Falls. 
This  is  no  vulgar  business  rizzle;  it  is  a  transaction  in 
hearts,  —  mine  and  Betty  Archer's." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Falls  once  more. 

Falls  leaned  forward  in  his  chair.  "  I  cannot  work  the 
combination,  Watson;  I  have  n't  the  word,  you  know/' 
he  said  quietly. 

"  Nearly  any  word  —  of  those  which  a  man  would  be 
most  reluctant  to  use  about  himself  —  would  work  it," 
Watson  said  bitterly.  "  This  is  a  nice  bit  of  moral  muck 
I  'm  about  to  drag  you  through,  Falls !  Right  down  into 
the  primal  mud  it  is.  Well  — "  He  threw  his  heavy 
form  back  in  his  chair  with  a  savage  lurch,  and,  lock 
ing  his  hands  behind  his  head,  stared  straight  before 
him. 

"  You  've  seen  since  you  have  been  here  a  girl  — 
Rosebud  ?  Yes ;  Miss  Archer's  maid.  Well,"  —  he  loos 
ened  his  tie  with  a  savage  jerk,  as  though  it  choked  him, 
• —  "  that  girl  —  that  colored  girl  —  is  my  daughter." 

Falls  did  not  speak,  but  kept  the  steady  kindness  of  his 
eyes  upon  Hugh's  face  as  he  resumed :  "  Sixteen,  seven- 


166  THE    NORTHERNER 

teen  years  ago  —  I  was  a  lad  of  twenty  then,  living 
with  Uncle  John  at  Hillcrest  in  vacations  when  I  was 
home  from  the  university.  It  was  there  I  met  —  Rose 
bud's  mother.  Uncle  John  had  married  for  the  second 
time  —  a  beautiful  Louisiana  girl,  Joan's  mother,  and 
the  most  exquisite  creature!  She  did  not  live  two  years. 
Well,  Felicia  brought  with  her  as  a  maid,  from  New 
Orleans,  this  woman  —  Lesby.  Lesby  was  Rosebud's 
mother. 

"  I  wonder,"  said  Hugh,  "  if  you,  with  your  clean,  cold 
New  England  standards,  can  form  any  conception  of 
what  it  means  to  be  born  to  a  heritage  of  lust  —  with 
the  means  of  its  gratification  always  at  your  elbow.  I 
had  two  hundred  years  of  slaveholding  ancestry  behind 
me,  two  hundred  years  of  the  garnered  instincts  of  men 
who  had  held  such  creatures  as  Lesby  as  goods  and  chat 
tels.  And  I  was  a  gallows  young  ass  in  those  days !  Well, 
to  cut  it  short:  a  boy  of  twenty,  a  summer  in  Dixie — • 
and  Lesby!  She  was  a  warm,  bright-colored  creature, 
voluptuous  and  passionate,  as  all  those  women  are  —  years 
older  than  I.  You  know  the  rest,  Falls  ?  " 

"  Aye,  '  without  benefit  of  clergy ! '  Go  on ;  how  did 
it  end?" 

"  It  has  not  ended  yet,"  said  Hugh  slowly.  "  Felicia 
died;  Uncle  John  needed  me,  and  I  came  home  from  col 
lege.  Lesby  had  gone  —  vanished,  as  a  snake  slips  into 
the  grass,  leaving  Rosebud  to  my  care  in  a  note  mailed 
from  an  ocean  steamer." 

He  paused  with  an  unpleasant  laugh.  "  Adairville  has 
the  vice  of  all  small  towns;  it  dearly  loves  to  ferret  out 
family  skeletons.  Everybody  knows  everybody  else's,  and 
can  articulate  'em  and  name  each  bone.  But,  by  God's 


WITHOUT   BENEFIT    OF    CLERGY   167 

good  grace  I  was  able  to  hide  mine !  I  had  a  man  to  look 
after  her;  she  has  never  known  neglect.  All  went  well 
until  this  last  development."  Hugh  rose  to  find  his  pipe, 
lighted  it,  and  cast  himself  down,  one  foot  across  the  arm 
of  the  chair,  smoking  hard. 

"After  sixteen  years  of  peace  I  had  grown  careless, 
or  callous  —  or  both.  The  girl  was  grown,  able  to  fend 
for  herself  —  too  able,  as  it  turned  out.  I  meant  to  get 
her  away  —  buy  her  off,  you  know.  I  wanted  to  marry 

—  to  marry  Betty;    and  there  was  danger  always.     The 
only  grain  of  comfort  that  I  have  had  in  the  whole  blasted 
mess  has  been  that  I  am  still  a  free  man;    that  when 
Betty  leaves  me  —  "    He  paused  a  moment,  steadied  him 
self,  went  on :    "  If  Betty  leaves  me,  it  will  not  be  my 
wife  who  leaves  me !    You  do  not  know,  Falls  —  do  you  ? 

—  what  it  means  to  love  a  woman  as  though  she  were 
your  wife,  and  then  to  lose  her  by  what  is  worse,  infinitely 
worse,  than  death!     To  go  on  living  here,  seeing  her  — 
seeing  some  other  man  court  her,  marry  her  —  God !  .  .  . 
I  had  no  dream  that  the  girl  was  nearer  here  than  two 
hundred  miles  when  I  met  her  that  night  at  Hillcrest; 
and  later  Betty  told  me  calmly  that  she  was  living  in  Mr. 
Archer's  house  as  her  maid." 

A  smile  gleamed  in  Falls's  dark  eyes. 

"  One  of  life's  little  ironies,  Hugh.  What  did  you 
do?" 

"  Proceeded  to  cut  my  own  throat  in  the  promptest 
and  most  methodical  manner.  Benson  told  me  he  could 
do  nothing  with  the  girl.  I  decided  upon  a  desperate 
remedy;  I  sent  for  Rosebud.  It  was  my  only  hope  of 
influencing  her;  and  she  did  consent  to  my  plan  to  go 
away.  She  was  gentle  —  tractable ;  everything  was  ready. 


1 68  THE    NORTHERNER 

Then  —  she  disappeared.  Until  two  days  ago  I  had  not 
an  idea  where  she  could  be;  I  know  now." 

"Hallett?" 

"Aye;   you  have  the  combination  now,  Falls." 

"Yes;   I  see/' 

Falls  was  engrossed  in  puzzled  thought.  That  letter? 
What  part  did  it  play  in  this  cruel  scheme?  Hugh  had 
not  mentioned  it ;  he  decided  after  a  second's  hard  thought 
that  he  would  not  himself  refer  to  it  —  not  yet. 

"Still,"  he  said  gently,  "still,  Hugh,  if  Hallett  has 
no  proof,  your  influence  with  Miss  Archer  must  out 
weigh  every  one  else's." 

"  There  is  proof,"  said  Watson  wearily.  "  I  mean  it 
exists  —  but  in  whose  hands?  If  I  had  any  means  of 
knowing  —  if  I  could  but  be  certain  that  Hallett  had 
it  —  "  His  strong  white  hand  shut  slowly,  with  a  cruel, 
rigid  movement.  "  But  there  is  always  the  doubt. 
Women  and  letters!  It  has  been  proved  again  and 
again." 

He  leaned  over  and  laid  his  hand  upon  Falls's  knee 
with  an  insistent  pressure.  "You  see,  Falls,  where  all 
this  has  led  us  ?  It  is  you,  old  man,  you  or  —  Betty !  " 

"  Unless  we  can  find  a  way  out,"  said  Falls  quietly. 
"  If  we  do  not,  we  will  not  sacrifice  Miss  Archer  between 
us.  Women's  hearts  are  not  the  sort  of  stuff  to  be  mixed 
up  in  a  rizzle  of  this  kind." 

Falls  roused  himself  from  a  trance  of  thought  and 
turned  to  Hugh,  who  saw  with  amazement  that  his  steady 
eyes  were  alight  with  some  purpose,  his  stern  lips  bent 
into  a  slight  smile  as  he  spoke.  "They  have  a  saying 
in  the  Isle  of  Man,  '  Close  is  my  shirt,  but  closer  is 
my  skin/  May  I  ask  you  a  question,  Hugh,  rather  closer 


.WITHOUT   BENEFIT    OF    CLERGY   i69> 

than  your  shirt,  but  not  as  close  as  Betty  Archer?  Yes? 
Do  you  care  at  all  for  this  girl  —  in  the  sense  of  natural 
affection,  I  mean?" 

"I  loathe  her,"  said  Hugh  briefly,  "in  the  sense  you 
mean !  Every  drop  of  blood  in  my  body  turns  cold  with 
disgust  at  the  thought  —  the  sight  of  her!  But,  under 
stand  me,  Falls,  this  is  a  mere  matter  of  instinct  —  a 
purely  physical  revulsion,  to  which  my  mind  does  not 
consent."  He  dropped  his  head  in  puzzled  thought. 
"  Strange  inconsistency  of  the  human  mind  —  I  tell  you 
I  loathe  her,  yet  I  would  give  every  drop  of  my  blood  to 
save  her  from  harm  —  from  the  fate  in  store  for  her  at 
Hallett's  hands!" 

"  Sure,"  said  Falls,  and  laid  his  hand  upon  his  friend's 
knee  with  a  caress  as  tender  as  a  woman's.  "I  'm  get 
ting  onto  —  into,  which  ever  it  is  —  this  race  prejudice 
of  you  Alabama  people."  Falls  was  seeing,  as  he  spoke, 
a  pair  of  gray  eyes  frozen  with  pain  and  disgust.  "  Sup 
pose,  Hugh,  that  this  letter  you  spoke  of  —  which  Hallett 
may  have  —  suppose  it  was  not  in  his  possession,  after 
all,  how  far  could  he  make  use  of  the  girl  herself?  How 
far  would  her  unsupported  assertion  go?" 

"About  as  far  as  that  smoke  which  you  are  blowing 
into  the  air.  Men  call  that  sort  of  thing  blackmail.  It  's 
common  here ;  it  would  be  dismissed  with  a  wink  —  a 
sneer;  old  Ben  Archer  himself  would  not  believe  it; 
Hallett  would  not  dare  show  in  it.  I  was  pressing  the  girl 
hard  to  get  her  out  of  Hallett's  hands,  but  I  was  not 
uneasy  on  my  own  account;  and  the  letter  only  reached 
her  hands  about  three  hours  before  she  was  to  have  left 
here." 

Falls  rose,   shook  the  ashes  from  his  pipe,  beat  the 


i;o  THE    NORTHERNER 

bowl  upon  his  palm,  stretched  then  his  big  form  care 
lessly. 

"  I  'm  going  to  walk  about  a  bit,  Hugh ;  I  want  to 
think  this  out  alone;  and  I  'm  used  to  doing  my  think 
ing  in  the  open.  Will  you  be  up  a  little  later?  I  'm 
such  a  nocturnal  beast  myself."  He  leaned  over  Watson 
and  deftly  slipped  his  glasses  off.  "  They  are  awfully 
out  of  plumb;  let  me  tinker  them  a  bit/' 

Falls's  own  beautiful  revolver,  which  he  had  given  Hugh 
weeks  before,  lay  upon  the  mantelpiece  at  Falls's  elbow; 
he  took  it  up  under  Watson's  near-sighted  eyes  and  slipped 
it  into  his  pocket,  and  after  a  moment  more  of  clever 
handling  of  the  glasses  handed  them  to  Hugh. 

"  They  're  all  right  now ;  you  should  never  be  without 
them,  Hugh.  You  have  no  idea  how  easily  one  can  take 
advantage  of  you ;  you  're  blind,  man,  without  them ! " 
Falls  turned  at  the  door :  "  If  I  'm  late,  don't  wait  up." 

He  ran  lightly  down  the  steps  to  the  street,  and  with 
out  a  second's  pause  turned  to  his  left  and  struck  across 
the  Court-house  Square.  After  five  minutes  of  rapid  walk 
ing,  he  emerged  opposite  the  building  where  Hallett's 
rooms  were.  A  light  shone  from  a  side  window,  falling 
in  a  wide  bar  across  the  street. 

"He  's  up/'  said  Falls  to  himself;    "good!" 

He  knew  the  arrangement  of  Hallett's  rooms  well,  hav 
ing  spent  a  day  or  two  as  his  guest  upon  his  arrival. 
He  ran  up  to  the  hall  upon  which  all  the  doors  of  the 
suite  opened,  and  entered  without  knocking,  through  the 
door  of  the  sitting-room,  and  had  a  clear  view  of  Hallett 
in  the  lighted  bedroom  two  doors  beyond. 

"Hallett?"  he  called.  "It  is  I,  Falls.  I  want  to  see 
you  a  minute." 


WITHOUT   BENEFIT    OF    CLERGY   171 

Hallett,  wrapped  in  a  bath-robe,  came  through  the  inter 
vening  rooms,  taking  scant  pains  to  disguise  his  surprise 
and  displeasure  at  the  unexpected  summons. 

Falls  coolly  turned  on  the  light  upon  the  desk  in  the 
center  of  the  room,  and,  stepping  behind  Hallett  as  he 
entered,  turned  the  key  in  the  door  and  withdrew  it  from 
the  lock.  Hallett's  fresh  color  paled  a  trifle,  and  he 
glared  at  Falls  in  cold  fury.  Falls  laid  the  key  and  his 
own  pistol  upon  the  mantelpiece  and  leaned  his  back 
against  it,  facing  Hallett  as  he  spoke: 

"  Your  pistols  are  in  your  bedroom,  I  know ;  there  is 
mine." 

"  Yon  are  well  up  in  the  role  of  midnight  assailant, 
Mr.  Falls/'  said  Hallett,  with  acrid  scorn.  "  Practice,  I 
suppose  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Falls  carelessly,  "  this  is  my  first  appearance 
in  the  role.  Hallett,"  he  went  on  without  pause,  "  I  want 
Watson's  letter,  which  you  took  from  my  hand  three 
months  ago  in  the  park  down  there,  under  pretense  of 
returning  it  to  —  " 

"I  did  return  it." 

"We  '11  pass  that;  the  point  is  this:  as  I  was  fool 
enough  to  trust  you  with  it,  I  am  in  that  far  responsible 
for  its  safe-keeping  and  its  return  to  its  owner  — " 

"  Who  is  its  owner  ?  " 

"  I  '11  pass  that,  also.  I  'm  not  a  court  of  equity ;  and 
that  issue  is  not  before  us.  I  don't  care  to  whom  it  may 
belong !  But  —  I  've  come  to  have  you  return  it  to  me 
now." 

"  When  you  have  established  your  right  to  its  custodian 
ship,"  said  Hallett  with  quiet  insolence. 

Falls  crossed  the  space  between  them  with  a  stride,  and 


172  THE    NORTHERNER 

dropped  the  iron  grip  of  his  heavy  hands  upon  Hallett, 
twisting  him  as  a  man  twists  a  sapling  to  uproot  it.  Hal 
lett's  close-knit  strength  and  suppleness  held  its  own  for 
a  few  moments,  but  he  was  no  match  for  Falls,  who  inch 
by  inch  bore  him  back,  his  hand  upon  Hallett's  throat, 
Hallett's  supple  form  strained  across  his  knee,  his  fair 
face  black  with  passion,  his  nostrils  straining  for  breath. 

"  Have  I  established  my  right  sufficiently,  Hallett  ? 
Will  you  give  me  the  letter  without  further  demonstra 
tion?  Yes?  Get  up,  then." 

Falls  sprang  up,  releasing  Hallett,  who  rose  more  slowly. 
Falls  could  see  the  fierce  restraint  he  was  putting  upon 
himself  in  his  struggle  to  regain  the  composure  which 
he  meant  to  maintain  at  any  cost,  and  with  it  all  that 
remained  to  him  of  dignity  in  the  encounter. 

"  The  paper  is  in  the  private  drawer  of  the  desk  be 
hind  you,"  he  said  with  tremulous  dignity.  "  It  has  a 
secret  spring." 

"  I  know,"  said  Falls,  and  bent  to  open  it.  In  the 
second  that  he  turned  his  back,  Hallett  made  a  silent 
spring  to  the  pistol  upon  the  shelf  behind  Falls.  But 
even  as  he  was  about  to  grasp  it,  he  started  back.  The 
loose  skirt  of  his  bath-robe  had  brushed  the  glowing  bars 
of  the  grate  and  the  flame  sprang  upward.  Falls  swung 
round  in  time  to  see  Hallett's  quick  motion  toward  the 
pistol,  and  his  scornful  glance  seared  Hallett  like  a  flam 
ing  brand. 

"  You  hound !  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Hallett  coolly  —  he  had  himself  well 
in  hand  —  "not  at  all!  In  brute  strength,  Mr.  Falls, 
you  are  vastly  my  superior;  that  little  toy  would  have 
equalized  us,  that  is  all ! " 


WITHOUT   BENEFIT    OF    CLERGY   173 

"  I  don't  think  I  have  much  the  advantage  of  you, 
Hallett "  —  Falls  was  arranging  the  papers  neatly  in  the 
drawer  as  he  had  found  them,  and  rose  with  Hugh's  letter 
in  his  hand  — "  in  brute  strength,  or,  let  us  say,  brutal 
application  of  such  strength  as  you  may  have  acquired. 
This  little  thing,"  he  held  up  the  letter,  "  and  the  use 
you  were  making  of  it,  warrants  any  little  —  er  —  rough 
ness  I  may  have  used  in  regaining  its  possession.  And 
I  shall  in  time  take  from  you  that  other  helpless  tool  you 
may  try  to  use !  " 

A  spasm  of  silent  rage  crossed  Hallett's  face. 

"  I  thought,"  he  said  with  slow  insult,  "  that  you  had 
your  hands  full  with  Miss  — " 

"  Don't  dare ! "  cried  Falls,  in  a  voice  scarcely  above  a 
whisper,  it  was  so  hoarse  with  passion.  "  Don't  dare,  Hal 
lett  —  unless  you  want  to  die !  "  They  faced  each  other 
for  a  moment,  both  men  breathing  quickly;  then  with 
a  look  of  unutterable  contempt  —  a  look  that  stung  even 
Hallett's  hardened  sensibilities  —  Falls  walked  out  of  the 
room. 

"  Sleep,  Watson  ?  "  asked  Falls,  ten  minutes  later,  from 
the  door  of  his  own  room. 

"  Naw,"  drowsily ;    "  come  in." 

"  Just  a  minute."  Falls  came  in  without  coat  or  vest, 
the  short  pipe  in  his  mouth,  a  light  of  quiet  pleasure 
in  his  dark  eyes.  "  I  have  a  paper  of  yours."  He  turned 
on  the  light  at  the  head  of  Hugh's  bed,  and  handed  him 
the  letter.  \Vatson  took  it,  glanced  it  over  carelessly, 
started,  sat  erect,  staring  at  Falls  silently,  as  his  mind, 
in  one  smooth  roll,  took  in  the  whole. 

"  You  —  you  old  Indian !     How  did  —  " 


174  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Simply  enough.  You  see,  I  knew  Hallett  had  it ; 
so  I  stepped  round  there  and  —  got  it." 

"  Got  it !  Of  course,  you  mean  you  took  it  —  vi  et 
armis  ?  " 

"I  —  suppose  so.  I  have  forgotten  my  Latin.  I 
choked  him  till  he  gave  in,"  said  Falls  simply. 

Watson  laughed  his  big  laugh  of  sheer  delight. 

"  Oh,  tell  it,  man !     For  Gawd's  sake  tell  it !  " 

"  There  's  nothing  to  tell  —  and  I  'm  so  deuced  sleepy, 
Hugh." 

"  Watson  ?  "  he  called  a  moment  later. 

"Well?" 

"  Don't  let  that  black  automaton  of  yours  — " 

"Naw.     Sleep  all  day  if  you  like." 

He  was  snoring  in  five  minutes,  but  Watson  rose,  and, 
flinging  his  dressing-gown  about  him,  sat  out  the  dawn. 

He  smiled  as  he  held  the  letter  in  the  flames,  watching 
it  turn  to  a  phantom  sheet  whereon  the  ghost  of  his  letter 
lingered,  dimly  visible  in  pallid  lines,  through  which  ran 
a  fiery  serpent  of  dying  sparks. 

"  Be  good  if  you  can  —  but  if  you  can't,  be  careful ! " 
he  murmured.  A  sudden  sound  smote  upon  his  ear,  and 
he  rose  and  went  to  the  window.  Outside,  the  pearly 
reaches  of  the  dawn  were  creeping  upward  from  behind 
the  dim  underworld,  though  the  streets  still  were  gulfs 
of  darkness,  from  which  were  borne  to  Hugh's  ear,  in 
the  dead  stillness  of  the  town,  the  muffled  tread  of  horses' 
feet,  a  thin  rattle  of  steel,  then,  full  and  clear,  a  hound's 
deep  bay. 

Hugh  smote  his  hand  upon  the  sill  in  sudden  recol 
lection. 

"  I  had  forgotten.     They  must  have  caught  that  poor 


devil ! "  He  leaned  across  the  sill  and  spoke  in  cautious 
tone  to  a  man  whose  steady  tread  sounded  below  him 
on  the  pavement. 

"  That  you,  Kelly,  is  it  ?  Who  's  that  they  're  bringing 
in?" 

"Yes,  it  's  Kelly;   that  's  you,  Mr.  Watson?" 

"  Yes." 

"  It  's  the  posse  er  comin'  in ;  they  've  got  Will-Henery 
and  urnuther  nigger  —  I  disremembers  his  name  —  " 

"Good  night!" 

Hugh  slowly  closed  the  window.  His  face  was  grave. 
"  If  that  poor,  hunted  devil,  with  the  hound's  teeth  in 
him,  should  have  implicated  Falls  — " 

He  extinguished  the  outer  light,  and,  taking  a  candle, 
passed  onward  to  his  own  room.  Obeying  a  sudden  im 
pulse,  he  turned  to  Falls's  room,  and,  shielding  the  light, 
peered  in  at  the  sleeping  man.  Falls  slept  profoundly, 
his  dark  head  thrown  back  upon  the  pillow,  the  stern 
lines  of  his  face  relaxed  in  calm  repose. 

"I  'd  knock  the  bottom  out  of,  not  only  their  rotten 
Tenth  Circuit,  but  the  State  of  Alabama  before  they 
should  touch  him ! "  murmured  Watson  grimly. 

His  lips  softened  with  a  smile,  whimsical,  humorous. 
"  Close-mouthed  old  Indian !  Has  n't  breathed  where 
he  's  been  all  day;  thinks  I  don't  know  a  word.  Old 
cast-iron  statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln  I"  he  murmured, 
and  left  him  to  his  slumbers. 


XIII 

THE   CURSE  OF   DIXIE 

TT1  HE  weather  vouchsafed  to  the  valley  of  the  Tennes- 
JL  see  by  the  deities  of  the  Weather  Bureau  was  ideal 
Yule-tide  weather. 

So  conventionally  perfect  was  it  in  every  detail  as  to 
suggest  an  emblazoned  Christmas  card;  and  eyes  were 
dazzled  by  the  clear-cut  blues  and  silvers  of  the  sky  and 
frost,  the  shimmer  of  gilded  sunlight  and  the  jovial  red 
of  holly  against  masses  of  evergreens,  dusted  with  a 
sparkling  diamond-dust  of  frost. 

From  the  heights  beyond  the  town,  in  the  intensely 
rarefied  atmosphere,  Adairville  took  on  the  semblance 
t)f  those  fairy  cities  etched  by  frost  sprites  upon  the 
window-panes,  while  weary  mortals  sleep.  A  city  of  the 
mist,  built  of  the  stuff  which  dreams  are  made  of,  the 
little  town  lay  like  a  frozen  pearl  upon  the  heaving  bosoms 
of  the  low  green  hills,  while  high  above  it  the  spire  of 
the  Brotherhood  of  Christ,  like  an  extended  arm,  held 
aloft  its  silver  cross,  flashing  like  a  heliotrope,  from  hill 
to  hill,  its  holy  message  of  peace  on  earth. 

Joan,  driving  rapidly  along  the  road  which  wound 
among  the  hills  toward  Adairville,  looked  down  upon  the 
town  at  her  feet,  wrapped  in  a  white  dream  of  peace,  and 
felt  her  heart  swell  with  the  first  throes  of  the  same 
titter  resentment  which  had  shaken  Falls's  deep  voice 

176 


THE    CURSE    OF    DIXIE          177 

the  day  before,  when  he  had  pointed  out  to  her,  with 
scathing  irony,  the  significance  of  that  message  of  peace 
held  high  above  the  menace  of  the  low  sword. 

Her  horse's  feet  rang  cheerily  upon  the  hard  road  with 
a  musical  rhythm  good  to  hear;  the  morning  sun  gilded 
a  scene  of  enchanting  beauty  all  down  the  jeweled  length 
of  the  valley;  the  thin,  buoyant  air  whipped  the  blood 
to  keen  elation  along  the  veins,  making  Joan's  beautiful 
thoroughbred  mare  prance  and  curvet;  but  the  debonair 
figure,  wrapped  in  rich  furs,  with  a  dainty  toque  of  pea 
cocks'  breasts  upon  her  crisp  waves  of  bright  hair,  sat 
motionless  upon  the  driver's  seat  in  the  pretty  cart, 
plunged  in  deep  and  troubled  thought.  She  was  recalling 
paragraph  after  paragraph  of  the  report  of  the  capture 
of  the  two  negroes  which  had  appeared  in  that  morning's 
edition  of  the  Enterprise.  The  report  had  contained  noth 
ing  pertinent  to  the  bare  fact  of  the  capture  of  the  two 
men,  Will-Henry  and  Sledge,  charged  with  having  com 
mitted  the  "  deed  of  vengeance,"  as  Montgomery  named 
the  murder  of  Buckley  Shirley ;  but  it  had  literally  reeked 
with  veiled  hints  of  the  fate  in  store  for  "those  in  high 
places  "  who,  it  was  covertly  insinuated,  had  instigated  the 
negroes  to  do  the  killing,  and  whom  their  confessions 
had  implicated  directly  in  the  crime. 

Other  arrests  would  follow  shortly;  the  town  was  quiet 
now  —  with  insidious  emphasis  —  but  Holmes  County 
felt  deeply  the  outrage  it  had  suffered  in  the  foul  and 
unprovoked  assassination  of  a  member  of  a  family  pecul 
iarly  endeared  to  its  people  —  and  so  on  for  columns. 

Judge  Adair  had  read  the  report  during  the  intervals 
of  breakfast,  his  face  growing  sterner  with  each  flaming 
period.  He  said  nothing  as  he  folded  the  paper  with  a 


178  THE    NORTHERNER 

too  gentle  precision,  and  laid  it  aside  with  the  air  of 
one  who  puts  by  a  dangerous  explosive. 

Joan  noted  the  action  from  where  she  sat  across  the 
table,  her  white  chin  in  her  palm,  studying  her  father's 
face  with  anxious  eyes,  a  chill  premonition  weighing  on 
her  heart. 

"  Will  there  be  trouble,  father  ?  "  she  asked,  as  she  met 
his  eyes  at  last. 

"Yes,"  said  the  old  man  deliberately,  "there  will  be 
trouble  —  I  think.  There  will  be,  certainly,  if  Alec  Mont 
gomery  and  his  ring  of  'home  capitalists'  can  compass 
it.  'Dairville  is  primed  for  it  —  chock-full  of  countrymen 
and  moonshine  whiskey.  And  the  Enterprise  spurring 
them  on.  Yes,  there  will  be  trouble;  whether  it  will 
involve  Falls  — "  his  eyes  fell  upon  Joan's  face,  and  he 
turned  with  a  startled  gesture  toward  her  and  held  out 
his  arms. 

"Why,  daughter!  Joan,  child,  I  thought  you  under 
stood  the  town  by  this.  There  will  be  no  danger  to  you, 
my  pet." 

The  old  man  held  her  close,  chafing  her  white  cheeK 
with  his  own.  He  chuckled  softly. 

"Are  you  showing  the  white  feather  before  Alec 
Montgomery  at  last,  Joan?  Has  this  last  broadside 
of  bombast  brought  down  your  colors  ? "  Joan  rallied 
in  the  warm  shelter  of  her  father's  arms,  and  smiled 
faintly. 

"Such  a  pity,"  she  murmured,  "Christmas,  and  all 
that  —  and  to  have  this  hateful  thing  happen !  " 

"Is  n't  this  the  night  of  your  ball?"  Judge  Adair 
eked. 

"Yes,  father,  everything  is  ready."     Her  eyes  were 


THE    CURSE    OF    DIXIE          179 

absent,  still,  and  the  hand  with  which  she  adjusted  her 
father's  tie  was  not  as  firm  as  its  light  touch  was  wont 
to  be. 

"  Father,  ought  not  Mr.  Falls  to  go  away  from  Adair- 
ville  until  —  ?" 

"  It  would  be  wise,  perhaps ;  but  Falls  will  not  go, 
of  course." 

"  Not  if  Hugh  urged  him  ?     Or  if  —  if  others  —  " 

"  Challie  would  not  so  advise  him ;  I  should  not,  in 
his  place." 

"Not  if  he  were  in  danger,  father  dear?" 

Judge  Adair's  face  grew  stern  again;  he  flipped  the 
flimsy  sheets  of  the  Enterprise  with  a  scornful  finger. 

"A  man  could  not  yield  to  pressure  like  that,  Joan. 
And  apart  from  that,  it  would  mean  financial  ruin  to 
Falls.  If  I  am  not  strangely  mistaken  in  the  man,  Falls 
will  see  this  through.  With  Watson  and  a  conservative 
course,  this  trouble  here  may  be  averted." 

"  But,  father,  if  Mr.  Falls  should  not  be  guided  by 
Hugh  —  if  he  went  his  own  way  as  he  did  about  the 
street-cars  and  Will-Henry !  " 

"  Oppose  the  mob  in  the  hanging  of  these  negroes, 
you  mean?" 

"Yes,"  she  breathed. 

"  He  will  not  be  so  mad.  But  if  he  did  —  if  he  were 
so  mad  —  Falls  would  hang.  No  power  on  earth  could 
save  him  from  the  mob ! " 

Silently  Joan  fell  forward  in  her  father's  arms,  smoth 
ering  her  moan  of  anguish  upon  his  breast. 

The  lawn  in  front  of  Mr.  Archer's  house  was  still 
tucked  away  under  the  sparkling  coverlid  of  the  frost, 


i8o  THE    NORTHERNER 

when  Joan  drew  rein  at  the  gate  to  await  Betty,  who 
was  to  join  her  in  the  morning's  shopping  in  town. 

She  came  out  at  last,  furred  and  feathered  and  velvet- 
coated  to  a  degree  that  caused  Joan's  eyes  to  linger  upon 
her  in  suspicious  inventory,  as  she  tucked  the  rug  about 
her. 

"  Why,  Betty  Archer ! "  still  looking  her  over  with 
open  and  shocked  inspection,  "  are  not  these  your  trous 
seau  clothes?  It  is  aw-fully  unlucky  to  wear  them 
before  the  wedding !  " 

"  Pooh ! "  said  Betty,  serenely  above  superstition. 
"What  in  the  wide  world  could  come  between  Hugh 
and  me  now?  It  is  too  late  for  any  of  the  ordinary 
things  —  jealousy  and  that.  And  I  don't  believe,"  she 
said  reflectively,  though  a  glint  of  steel  showed  in  the 
depths  of  her  flower-soft  eyes,  "  that  I  could  be  jealous 
of  Hugh.  If  he  told  me  with  his  own  lips  that  he  loved 
another  woman,  I  simply  should  not  believe  him ! " 

"  Of  course  not,"  smiled  Joan,  slightly  superior,  "  if 
he  told  you  himself.  But,  my  lady  Betty,  if  some  one 
else  told  you?" 

"  It  would  not  matter,"  firmly,  "  who  told  me.  If 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  'Dairville,  with  Mrs. 
Eldridge-Jones  at  the  head  of  the  line  —  that  's  just 
where  she  'd  be  —  and  Emmy  Speight's  brand-new  baby 
at  the  foot,  all  told  me  over  and  over  that  Hugh  loved 
another  woman,  I  should  not  believe  it!  For  he  has 
told  me  over  and  over  that  he  loves  only  me ! " 

Joan  freed  one  hand  from  the  reins  and  softly  patted 
Betty's  shoulder.  "  That  is  p-e-rfectly  lovely  in  you, 
Betty!  But  suppose,  just  suppose,  you  know,  Betty,  that 
they  gave  you  some  sort  of  proof,  you  know?" 


THE    CURSE    OF    DIXIE          181 

.  "  No ;  women  in  books  and  those  awful  ones  who 
bring  breach  of  promise  cases  in  the  courts  may  need 
proof  of  a  man's  love;  but  in  real  life  —  like  with  you 
and  me,  Joan  —  loving  is  its  own  proof." 

"  This  is  ch-a-rming  in  you,  Betty !  Like  a  book, 
only  much  better  done.  But,"  she  went  on  a  little 
shyly,  "  I  should  want  to  love  with  my  whole  being, 
heart  and  mind  and  soul ! "  She  looked  straight  ahead 
with  unseeing  eyes,  across  which  a  shadow  of  pain  had 
fallen.  "  To  love  with  the  heart,  and  not  the  mind  — 
the  soul;  to  shrink  from  the  touch  which  thrills  you; 
to  have  your  ear  ache  for  the  sound  of  a  voice,  and  your 
soul  recoil  with  horror  from  the  sentiments  it  utters! 
What  hideous  turmoil  —  what  mortal  conflict !  .  .  .  Betty, 
Betty,  would  n't  it  be  horrible  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Betty,  with  startled  comprehension 
in  voice  and  eyes ;  "  for  —  for  every  one  to  know  —  like 
poor  Mrs.  Evert." 

They  drove  in  silence  for  a  few  minutes,  the  wind 
tugging  at  their  wraps  and  tingling  in  their  cheeks. 

"  Have  you  heard  about  Rosebud  ? "  asked  Betty, 
breaking  the  silence  with  a  careless  question. 

Joan  was  busy  for  the  moment  with  the  reins,  and 
answered  indifferently :  "  No ;  is  she  coming  back,  after 
all,  to  be  your  maid?" 

"  I  should  think  not,"  said  Betty,  a  cold  reserve  in  her 
voice  suggestive  of  old  Ben  Archer's  ruthless  sense  of 
duty.  "  She  has  not  been  anywhere  to  come  back  from," 
she  continued.  "  Rosebud  has  never  been  out  of  'Dair- 
ville." 

There  was  a  pause,  and  a  glance  of  keen  significance 
from  Betty,  and  Joan  blushed  hotly.  "Who  has  been 


182  THE    NORTHERNER 

gossiping  to  you,  Betty?  I  would  not  allow  such  things 
to  be  told  me,"  said  Joan  with  cold  reproof. 

"  It  }e  all  over  town,"  said  Betty  vaguely  but  unre- 
buffed,  adding  irrelevantly,  "  That  is  what  comes  of  negro 
equality." 

She  looked  carefully  away  from  Joan  as  she  spoke, 
tucking  in  the  rug  upon  her  side  with  elaborate  care,  and 
she  did  not  see  the  flood  of  angry  scarlet  which  poured 
across  Joan's  cheek,  nor  the  proud  dilation  of  her  nostril. 
When  she  looked  again,  Joan's  cheek  had  its  own  soft 
pallor,  but  her  tone  of  apologetic  courtesy  had  a  cutting 
edge  which  told  Betty's  wise  ear  that  her  shaft  had 
found  its  mark. 

"  Father  is  the  dearest  —  the  best,  you  know,  Betty ; 
but  he  is  particular  about  this  sort  of  thing.  He  in 
sists  that  I  do  not  listen  to  gossip  of  —  of  this  sort. 
If  you  will  excuse  me,  shall  we  drop  this?" 

"If  you  like,  Jo,"  with  tactful  good  temper.  "I 
wanted  you  to  know  —  I  mean,  I  wanted  to  tell  you 
before  some  one  else  did  — " 

"I  do  not  think,"  with  proud  scorn,  "that  I  am  a 
person  to  invite  this  sort  of  confidence.  Why  should 
you  have  feared  for  me?" 

Silence  answered  her,  a  silence  more  eloquent  than 
words.  The  smart  cart  rolled  gaily  onward  to  the  music 
of  Nanny's  hoofs  upon  the  highway,  a  galaxy  of  mimic 
suns  flashing  back  from  her  harness,  but  Joan's  blind 
eyes  saw  them  not. 

A  scorching  shame  seemed  slowly  to  consume  her; 
she  writhed  under  a  maddening  sense  of  a  something 
contaminating  —  humiliating. 

The  curse  of  Dixie!     As  far  back  as  Joan  could  re- 


THE    CURSE    OF    DIXIE          183 

member,  she  had  heard  with  bated  breath  of  this  curse 
• —  of  those  shapeless  things  with  cowled  heads  turned 
aside,  which  hung  upon  the  dark  side  of  life  in  Dixie; 
nameless  words  of  dread  which  haunted  the  hidden  cor 
ridors  of  men's  speech  —  hinted  at,  but  never  named. 

They  came  boldly  forth,  now,  to  confront  Joan's 
shrinking  soul;  gibed  at  her,  shamelessly  claimed  ac 
quaintance  with  her,  as  part  and  parcel  of  the  dark 
secrets  of  her  race.  With  shame  and  anguish  she  heard 
within  herself  a  voice  speaking  their  tongue.  This  hor 
ror  was  real  then;  Alec  Montgomery's  blatant  tirades 
had  covered  —  this?  She  had  thought  them  words  — 
words,  empty  of  aught  but  sound.  And  now  she  saw 
those  empty  words  take  form.  Empty  words  no  longer, 
but  living  passions;  she  felt  their  hot  hands  seize  her; 
heard  their  voices  gibber  at  her  ear.  "We  are  the  Curse 
of  Dixie ! "  they  shouted.  "  You,  a  Southern  woman, 
and  not  know  our  faces!  All  the  proud  women  of  your 
line  have  known  us.  We  are  the  Nameless  Shame,  the 
Hidden  Pain!  Their  proud  eyes  never  looked  our  way, 
their  pure  lips  never  named  us;  but  —  they  knew  us, 
even  as  you !  " 

Joan's  breath  sobbed  in  her  throat;  her  eyes  were 
blind  with  pain.  Nanny  was  disdainfully  threading  the 
narrow  streets  leading  to  the  business  part  of  town,  but 
Joan  still  sat  motionless,  her  hands  gripping  the  reins, 
fighting  down  a  vision  of  Falls's  face  as  he  had  bent 
over  her  the  day  before  at  the  mountain  house,  his  deep 
gaze  frankly  tender. 

She  shivered.  What  was  it  she  had  just  said  to  Betty? 
To  love  with  the  heart,  the  mind  not  consenting  —  con 
flict  she  had  named  it  then.  It  was  agony! 


184  THE   NORTHERNER 

"  Joan ! "  shrieked  Betty,  as  they  spun  round  a  corner 
upon  a  motionless  cordon  of  men  drawn  across  the  street; 
but  Joan  had  seen  —  or  Nanny  saw,  and  swerved  aside. 

"  \VTiy  are  they  standing  in  the  street,  then  ?  How 
could  I  know  they  were  not  going  to  move?  If  this 
had  been  Ritchie  —  " 

"  They  are  soldiers,  goose ;  see  the  guns !  Why, 
surely  you  know,  Jo  ?  It  's  all  over  town ! "  Her  fa 
vorite  formula  fell  glibly  from  Betty's  lips,  as  she  waved 
her  little  gloved  hand  toward  the  line  of  soldiers  stand 
ing  on  guard  across  the  street  leading  to  the  jail. 

"That  is  the  Alabama  National  Guard,  if  you  please. 
.  .  .  Don't  tell  me,  Joan  Adair,  that  you  have  not  read 
Alec's  *  piece ' !  Well,  those  are  '  the  noble  lives  standing 
between  us  and  Anarchy ' ! "  She  laughed  lightly. 
"  They  'A  run  if  you  said  turkey  —  if  you  even  whis 
pered  it!  Pl-e-a-se  look  at  the  airs  those  absurd  men 
are  putting  on  —  with  those  silly  guns!  Every  one  in 
the  place  knows  there  ?s  nothing  in  them.  .  .  .  What? 
Oh,  they  are  guarding  the  jail  to  keep  the  mob  from 
hanging  Will-Henry  and  that  other  nigger  —  I  forget  his 
name.  Why,  Jo,  how  silly!  Turning  pale  about  ur  nig 
ger  getting  hung!  What  earthly  difference?  There  are 
plenty  of  niggers.  And  they  ought  to  be  hung  —  or  burned 
—  or  something,"  she  went  on  placidly,  the  trill  of  laugh 
ter  still  upon  her  lips,  "  and  the  white  men,  too,  who  put 
them  up  to  killing  poor  Buck ! " 

The  rug  was  getting  refractory  again;  Betty  stooped 
to  adjust  it. 

"They  say  Mr.  Falls  has  left  town.  No  one  has  seen 
him  since  he  got  in  from  the  East  and  heard  about  the 
posse  being  out  after  Will-Henry." 


THE    CURSE    OF    DIXIE          185 

"  How  do  they  know  that  no  one  has  seen  him  ?  "  asked 
Joan  quietly. 

"  They  have  a  watcher,"  said  Betty  easily. 

"  Betty,"  gasped  Joan,  "  how  do  you  know  these  dread 
ful  things?" 

"  Lynn  told  me.    It  's  Andy  Caruthers." 

The  smart  little  cart,  with  the  two  prettiest  girls  in  the 
place  as  occupants,  drew  every  eye  as  it  made  its  slow 
way  along  the  crowded  streets.  It  was  soon  piled  with 
packages  as  they  went  from  store  to  store. 

"  There  is  Hugh !  "  cried  Betty.  "  Do  stop,  Jo;  I  want 
him  to  see  my  coat." 

Nothing  loath,  Joan  pulled  Nanny  up,  and  Watson 
leaned  upon  the  cart  to  chat,  openly  adoring  both  Betty 
and  the  coat  with  entire  impartiality.  He  was  full  of 
his  old  gay  humor;  indeed,  Joan  thought,  interrogating 
his  face  with  wistful  eyes,  that  she  had  never  seen  him 
happier.  Her  troubled  heart  drew  comfort  from  the  fact, 
and  she  entered  into  the  talk  going  on  about  the  cart, 
where  a  circle  of  young  men  had  gathered,  with  something 
of  her  old  raillery. 

It  was  a  gay  crowd,  the  men  chaffing  one  another,  and 
the  girls,  with  nonsense  and  much  laughter  —  the  sweet, 
ready  laughter  of  youth  which  waits  not  on  wit  nor  epi 
gram,  but  is  its  own  excuse  for  being. 

The  talk  was  all  of  the  ball  that  night  at  Hillcrest  and 
the  next  night  at  the  Dixie  Club. 

"  There  's  a  report  about  town  that  you  are  to  wear 
the  Gown,  Joan!  Is  it  true?  I  want  to  know  —  to 
get  braced  up  to  it ;  I  've  a  weak  heart.  You  know  about 
my  weak  heart,  Joan,"  said  Jemmy  Page  insinuatingly. 

"  Indeed  I  do  not ! "  laughed  Joan,  "  and  don't  try 


i86  THE    NORTHERNER 

•to  put  the  responsibility  of  your  damaged  organ  off  on 
me,  Jemmy.  Go  to  that  Latham  girl  from  Atlanta  for 
sympathy  —  or  damages.  No ;  I  'm  going  to  run  in  an 
old  gown  on  you  boys  to-night.  But  to-morrow  night  — 
when  I  am  with  my  lord  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  great 
Commonwealth  of  Alabama !  " 

"  Go  to !     Who  cares  for  titles  ?  "  doughtily. 

"  Eight  you  are,  Jemmy !  "  cried  Hugh,  putting  his  long 
arm  round  the  lad. 

They  were  half-romping  together,  and  the  boy  drew 
Watson  farther  from  the  crowd  about  the  cart,  which 
Hallett  and  Tom  Evert  had  just  joined. 

"  Is  it  true  Falls  has  jumped  the  town,  Hugh  ?  " 

"  You  young  ass  —  Falls !  "  Watson  turned  aside,  with 
his  arm  still  about  the  boy.  "  What  d'  you  mean,  Page  ?  " 

"  Why,  they  say  Falls  has  bolted  —  'f read  to  face  the 
mob !  He  has  n't  been  seen  since  he  got  back  —  did  n't 
sleep  in  his  room  at  the  hotel  last  night  —  has  not  showed 
up  this  morning.  They  've  a  watcher  in  the  lobby."  He 
cast  an  apprehensive  glance  over  his  shoulder  toward  the 
group.  "  Fur  Gawd's  sake,  Hugh  —  " 

"  Naw ;  no  one  will  ever  know  that  you  have  given 
me  this  tip,  Page.  But  I  '11  remember  it,  and  Falls  will. 
Who  's  the  spy?" 

"Andy  Caruthers." 

Hugh  thought  rapidly;  he  set  his  strong  teeth  in  an 
exasperation  too  deep  for  words.  If  he  could  but  keep 
Falls  where  he  was  for  forty-eight  hours,  they  might  think 
what  they  please.  But  that  could  not  be  done,  he  well 
knew,  and,  failing  that,  a  bold  game  was  best.  How 
to  play  it? 

For  a  moment  longer  Watson  stood  in  deep  thought 


THE    CURSE    OF    DIXIE          187 

before  the  spark  struck  in  his  brain  which  fired  his  line 
of  action.  In  that  brief  space  of  introspection  he  saw 
his  way  as  a  man  sees  a  blazed  trail  leading  away  through 
the  devious  aisles  of  the  dim  forest;  glancing  from  point 
to  point,  his  mind  caught  each  salient  circumstance  which 
might  serve  to  guide  him  along  the  blind  path  of  his 
purpose. 

"  With  another  d fork  in  it !  "  he  muttered.  On 

the  one  hand  Falls's  personal  safety,  on  the  other  Falls's 
business  integrity. 

He  must  slay  with  one  hand  this  hydra-headed,  multi- 
tongued  rumor  before  it  reached  Falls's  ears  —  that  might 
be  done  —  while  he  held  down  with  the  other  hand  the 
wild  beast  of  public  opinion,  whose  gathering  roar  was 
even  now  in  his  ear,  its  hot  breath  on  his  cheek. 

But  this  was  familiar  ground.  Watson  had  fought  this 
dragon  before.  He  knew  it  well;  knew  that  it  was  all 
stupid  brain  and  jaundiced  eye  and  blatant  roar.  Knew 
that  he  had  vanquished  it  before,  that  he  might  again; 
and  he  braced  his  nerve  to  the  fight. 

"  Only  one  thing  on  this  earth  is  more  fickle,  or  more 
cruel,  than  a  woman,"  he  mused,  "  and  that  thing  is 
public  opinion.  Well,  I  've  wheedled  both." 

But  he  did  not  deceive  himself  as  to  the  difficulties 
of  the  task  he  had  set  before  him.  He  knew  what  it 
meant  to  cast  the  weight  of  one  man's  influence  into  the 
scale  against  the  town,  and  this  time  against  the  town's 
interest,  as  the  town  saw  it. 

It  would  be  a  bitter  duel,  in  which  his  personal  influ 
ence  over  the  minds  and  wills  of  other  men  would  be 
opposed  to  that  of  the  ring  of  men  backed  by  Montgom 
ery's  paper,  who,  as  Watson  realized  with  bitter  indig- 


i88  THE    NORTHERNER 

nation,  were  instigating  popular  feeling  against  Falls 
with  the  single  aim  of  forcing  him  out  of  Adairville, 
freezing  him  out  of  business. 

That  they  were  deliberately  using  the  chance  which 
mockimg  circumstance  had  thrown  in  their  way,  and  by 
the  aid  of  their  mouthpiece,  Montgomery,  were  whip 
ping  the  passions  of  the  crowd  of  ignorant  and  vicious 
men  whom  accident  and  holiday  time  had  drawn  together 
in  the  town,  to  further  their  own  ends,  Hugh  did  not 
for  a  moment  doubt;  although  the  brutal  unscrupulous- 
ness  of  the  attempt  struck  him  aghast,  well  as  he  knew 
the  mettle  of  the  town  and  the  men  behind  it  in  this  at 
tempt. 

In  indignant  summary  Watson's  mind  seized  upon  the 
one  element  in  the  whole  incredible  situation  which  made 
it  possible  of  conception  —  credible  of  human  belief.  It 
was  the  lack  of  individual  responsibility. 

Watson  well  knew  that  this  plot,  in  its  fiendish  incep 
tion,  had  been  the  work  of  no  one  mind;  that  no  single 
brain  had  formulated  it;  no  lip  had  dared  to  give  it 
utterance;  but  that,  like  some  hideous  evolution  emerg 
ing  from  the  womb  of  time,  it  had  developed  without 
extraneous  aid;  the  impulse  had  been  born  as  are  born 
convulsions  of  nature.  Thus  would  it  pursue  its  devastat 
ing  course,  thus  bury  itself  again  in  the  bosom  of  the 
past,  and  no  one  man  be  to  blame. 

"  Aye,  I  know  them ! "  Watson  finished  his  grim  solil 
oquy.  "  I  can  win  out  against  them,  too,  if  I  can  manage 
Falls."  His  smile  was  grimly  whimsical.  "  The  dear 
fool!  He  '11  be  after  collecting  evidence,  making  affida 
vits —  so  much  waste  paper!  Wanting  me  to  set  the 
hounds  of  justice  upon  the  leaders  of  the  mob;  and  that 


THE    CURSE    OF    DIXIE         189 

in  a  county  where  mobs  and  juries  are  drawn  from  the 
same  box ! " 

Watson  ran  his  eye  over  the  crowded  street  with  a  glance 
practised  in  the  art  of  sifting  men  and  classifying  them 
with  instant  perception  of  their  relation  to  the  purpose 
which  he  might  have  in  mind.  The  hour  was  well  on 
toward  noon,  and  the  streets  were  bright  with  holiday 
shoppers;  business  men,  with  the  urbanity  of  the  after- 
lunch  mood,  lingered  in  the  genial  warmth  of  the  mid 
day  sun,  often  with  heads  bent  close  in  low-voiced,  un 
smiling  talk.  Hugh's  anxious  mind  had  not  far  to  seek 
for  the  subject  which  thus  engrossed  them. 

A  dozen  yards  away  Alec  Montgomery  stood  upon  the 
flags  in  front  of  the  Adair  hotel,  surrounded  by  an  ever 
growing  group  of  men  whose  lean,  sinewy  forms,  rough 
clad  in  nondescript  jeans,  stiffened  by  time  and  weather 
until  the  marks  of  the  sculptor's  chisel  seemed  visible 
upon  the  rigid  folds,  proclaimed  them  to  be  mountain 
men.  Hugh's  covertly  anxious  eye  failed  to  detect  a  show 
of  interest  in  the  motionless  circle,  expression  and  atti 
tude  alike  evincing  bored  and  listless  inattention;  neither 
assent  nor  denial  touched  the  faces  turned  upon  Mont 
gomery  with  the  impassivity  of  their  native  limestone. 
But  Watson  knew  that  a  man  might  as  well  try  to  turn 
or  change  them  from  their  course  as  arrest  a  boulder  in 
its  downward  plunge  amid  a  landslide. 

Montgomery's  fair  face,  its  womanish  beauty  marred 
and  coarsened  by  dissipation,  was  deeply  flushed,  and 
his  still,  ice-blue  eye  shot  a  warmer  beam  than  it  was 
wont  to  do;  a  word  occasionally  tripped  and  stumbled 
upon  his  lips,  as  he  talked  earnestly  and  volubly  to  an 
ever-increasing  audience.  The  detail  from  the  jail  just 


190  THE    NORTHERNER 

off  duty,  trailing  their  guns  in  braggart  hands,  mingled 
with  the  group  of  mountaineers,  answering  their  brief 
questions  with  condescending  explanations  of  the  mechan 
ism  of  the  guns,  surrendering  them  to  the  strangers  with 
suppressed  laughter  and  half-spoken  words  of  mutual 
understanding. 

Andy  Caruthers  sauntered  out  of  the  open  doorway  of 
the  hotel,  and  was  instantly  surrounded  by  an  eager  circle. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  a  man  in  the  circle. 

"  Naw !  "  said  Andy. 

Casual  passers-by  turned  an  attentive  ear  in  passing; 
men,  busy  with  their  Christmas  shopping,  paused,  listened, 
edged  away,  and  passed  on,  a  dubious  gravity  upon  their 
faces.  Twenty  feet  away  the  pretty  cart  still  stood,  sur 
rounded  by  the  men  who  lingered  in  gay  talk  with  the 
two  girls,  while  Nanny  tugged  at  her  reins  and  pawed 
the  unoffending  pavements. 

"  A-w,  Jackson ! "  called  Watson,  over  the  heads  of 
the  passing  throng,  his  mellow  voice  carrying  easily  to 
the  ears  of  a  negro  seated  at  his  ease  upon  a  pile  of  bag 
gage  in  front  of  the  hotel.  The  Honorable  Peter  Lacey 
Jackson,  erstwhile  member  of  the  Legislature  for  the  State 
of  Alabama,  now  enjoying  the  more  congenial,  no  less 
honorable,  and  scarcely  less  lucrative  position  of  Wat 
son's  servant,  disentangled  himself  from  the  ruck  of  por 
ters  and  hotel  servants  which  hung  upon-  the  outskirts  of 
Montgomery's  crowd  and  came  nimbly  at  Hugh's  call. 

It  was  at  once  apparent  that  the  pleasantest  relations 
existed  between  the  Honorable  Peter  and  the  man  he 
served.  He  stood  before  Watson,  his  fine,  urbane  face 
the  color  exactly  of  burnt  paper,  ready,  at  his  bidding, 
to  undertake  anything,  from  another  term  in  the  Legis- 


THE    CURSE    OF    DIXIE          191 

lature  to  brushing  his  coat,  each  with  equal  zeal  and 
intelligence.  He  did  not  forget  that  he  was  the  Hon 
orable  Peter  Lacey  Jackson,  nor  did  Hugh  forget  it  or 
ignore  it;  they  met  in  the  relation  of  servant  and  not 
master  —  never  again  that  —  but  employer,  sanely  and 
kindly,  with  mutual  respect. 

"  Yes,"  Hugh  had  said  when  the  humor  of  having  a 
member  of  his  State's  lawmaking  body  as  his  servant 
was  first  suggested  to  him,  "yes;  Pete  is  my  private 
servant,  and  I  'm  Pete's  private  attorney.  He  looks  after 
my  rooms  and  my  clothes  and  keeps  me  comfortable;  and 
I  look  after  his  '  'vorces '  and  keep  him  out  of  the  peni 
tentiary.  No  problem  at  all.  Simple  case  of  reciprocity." 

"  Lacey,"  he  said  now,  tossing  him  a  bunch  of  keys 
over  the  heads  of  a  dozen  men  —  who  turned  to  laugh  and 
listen,  as  Hugh  had  calculated  they  would  do  — "  take 
these  keys  and  go  round  to  my  place  and  wake  Mr.  Falls 
up;  tell  him  I  sent  you." 

"  What  is  Mr.  Falls  doing  at  your  place,  Hugh  ?  "  asked 
Betty  curiously. 

"He  sleeps  there  frequently.  I  'd  forgotten  him — • 
promised  to  wake  him  at  noon.  Going,  girls?  A-w, 
Joan!" 

He  drew  Joan  down  and  whispered  a  brief  message: 

"  Falls  is  in  no  great  danger;  you  shall  know  anything 
that  happens,  and  at  once;  don't  worry." 

Milly  Ann  met  the  two  girls  in  the  hall  of  Hillcrest 
with  a  huge  florist's  package  in  her  hand  and  a  note  for 
Joan  from  Falls.  Merely  a  line  pleading  a  business  en 
gagement,  and  his  card  in  the  package. 

"  P-e-rfectly  ez-quisite !  "  cried  Joan,  as  both  girls  hung 
enraptured  above  the  great  sheaf  of  deep  red,  velvety 


192  THE    NORTHERNER 

roses,  whose  stems  set  with  purple  thorns  touched  the 
ground. 

"  But,  Joan,  red  —  a  blonde,  and  red !  You  cannot 
wear  them ;  think  of  your  gown !  " 

"  I  have  other  gowns,"  said  Joan  dreamily,  "  but  these 
were  not  meant  to  wear." 

She  did  not  add  what  they  were  meant  for,  and  Betty 
thought  it  better  to  refrain  from  inquiry. 


XIV 

"IN  MY  LADY'S  CHAMBER" 

WHEN  the  last  glimpse  of  the  cart  and  Betty's  blue 
eyes  was  lost  to  view,  Watson  sauntered  across  to 
his  rooms,  where  he  found  Falls  demolishing  a  beefsteak 
in  the  sitting-room,  while  he  endeavored  with  indifferent 
success  to  keep  erect  the  meager  sheets  of  the  Enterprise, 
wherein  he  read  eagerly  the  account  of  the  capture  of  the 
two  negroes. 

"  So  they  've  got  that  poor  devil,  Will-Henry,"  he  said, 
as  Hugh  entered. 

"  Yes ;  I  saw  them  bring  him  in  last  night.  Who  looked 
after  you  —  the  Honorable  Peter?" 

"  D'  you  think  I  'm  a  sucking  baby  that  I  can't  look 
after  myself?"  inquired  Falls  absently,  still  immersed 
in  the  report  of  the  capture.  "  What  the  devil,"  he  broke 
out,  astounded  and  indignant,  "  is  this  Montgomery  after  ? 
Listen  to  this,  Hugh  —  why,  this  thing  is  an  open  justi 
fication  of  lynching  the  men!  An  invitation  to  the  mob 
to  assemble!  Does  he  dare  —  " 

"  Naw.  Montgomery  never  dares.  He  waits  until  he 
sees  which  way  the  cat  will  jump,  and  then  he  sicks  hia 
paper  on.  That  did  n't  take  any  daring;  the  town  's  on 
that  side." 

Watson  flung  himself  into  his  lounging-chair,  regarding 
Falls  across  the  table  with  laughing  eyes. 

193 


194  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  I  went  down  to  the  jail  this  morning  to  see  Will- 
Henry."  Hugh  laughed  lazily.  "  He  called  me  '  Marst 
Hugh/  poor  devil !  His  sort  ordinarily  would  die  before 
they  would  call  a  white  man  '  master/  " 

"Eight,"  said  Falls;    "why  should  he?" 

"  We  were  boys  together,"  Watson  went  on  meditatively. 
"  I  've  played  marbles  with  him  many  a  day  on  that 
common  back  of  Hillcrest.  In  those  days  he  called  me 
'Challie  Watson/  and  I  called  him  'Billy.'"  Watson 
laughed  again.  "  That  '  Marst  Hugh  '  fetched  me !  I 
could  n't  let  'em  hang  him  without  putting  up  some  sort 
of  a  fight !  " 

Falls  had  flung  the  paper  aside  and  was  eating  his 
breakfast  meditatively.  He  looked  across  the  rim  of  his 
coffee-cup  at  Watson  with  frank  pity  and  concern. 

"  Watson,  if  you  will  take  this  case  for  Will-Henry, 
and  I  suppose  we  might  as  well  dump  in  the  other  brute, 
I  '11  settle  your  bill.  Get  any  one  you  like  to  help  you. 
Will  you?" 

Hugh  looked  at  his  friend  with  a  comical  pathos. 
"  Falls,  I  hate  this  sort  of  thing.  If  it  was  just  an  or 
dinary  crime  —  a  plain  killing  —  any  other  sort  of  trouble 
the  negro  was  in,  I  'd  take  it  gladly,  without  any  fee, 
of  course.  For  auld  lang  syne,  you  know  —  and  to  pay 
off  the  score  of  the  marbles  I  used  to  win  from  him. 
But  as  things  are  —  this  muck  of  passion  and  prejudice  — 
and  dirty  publicity!  There  's  going  to  be  trouble  here; 
those  negroes  are  going  to  be  lynched.  It  '11  be  in  all 
the  Northern  papers,  you  know.  I  do  not  want  to  get 
mixed  up  in  it  —  as  having  taken  some  stand  or  other 
about  the  solution  of  this  infernal  negro  problem  —  with  a 
capital  N".  There  is  n't  any,  you  know.  This  mess  here 


"IN    MY    LADY'S    CHAMBER"    195 

now :  it  is  not  the  murder  of  Shirley,  per  se,  which  is  ex 
citing  the  town  —  nobody  cares  a  hang  about  Buck  Shir 
ley;  it  is  race  prejudice,  pure  and  simple,  and  a  deter 
mination  to  maintain  what  they  call  the  supremacy  of 
the  Caucasian  race.  It  grew  out  of  the  street-car  inci 
dent." 

He  walked  the  length  of  the  room  and  back,  a  worried 
frown  upon  his  brow.  "  Why  I  hate  it,"  he  burst  out 
anew,  "  is  that  here  in  Alabama,  and  all  over  the  South, 
they  make  politics  of  this  sort  of  thing  —  and  the  dirtiest 
sort!  The  nigger  has  been  the  stalking-horse  of  Democ 
racy  in  the  South  for  forty  years;  and  all  sorts  of  per 
sonal  aims  are  advanced  behind  the  bogey  of  negro  equal 
ity." 

He  looked  keenly  at  Falls  as  he  finished,  but  Falls's 
face  was  alert  with  an  interest  as  purely  impersonal  as 
though  the  discussion  had  involved  the  Chinese  immi 
gration  act. 

"  Now,  if  I  mix  up  in  this,"  Hugh  continued,  "  a  per 
fect  howl  will  go  up  all  over  the  State  that  I  've  turned 
Kepublican." 

Falls  turned  his  rare  smile,  with  a  flash  of  strong, 
white  teeth,  upon  Watson's  worried  face.  "  You  're  the 
best  Republican  I  know,  Hugh.  But  don't  let  this  worry 
you.  Suggest  some  one  else.  I  '11  go  at  once  — " 

"  Finish  your  breakfast."  Watson  walked  to  the  win 
dow,  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  staring  silently  out  into 
the  street,  thinking  hard.  "  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  '11  do, 
Greg.  I  saw  both  those  men  this  morning ;  they  had  made 
no  confession,  and  they  will  make  none.  I  barely  got  in 
ahead  of  Montgomery.  But  the  facts  are  these:  Sledge 
did  the  killing  —  a  private  quarrel  between  him  and  Buck 


196  THE    NORTHERNER 

Shirley,  I  take  it.  Will-Henry  had  been  hiding  out  there 
in  the  sticks,  and  saw  the  thing  done  —  slipped  down 
there,  after  Sledge  had  gone,  to  see  what  he  could  steal. 
The  poor  fool  ought  to  have  known  that  Buck  Shirley 
never  had  a  cent  in  his  life.  Well,  that  's  how  the  dogs 
got  on  his  trail  —  he  handled  Shirley,  you  know  —  the 
stupid  fool!  There  's  nothing  in  the  case;  the  most 
ignorant  jury  ever  paneled  in  Holmes  County  —  and  we 
can  get  'em  right  —  could  see  the  merits  of  it  in  a  ten 
minutes'  talk;  yet  God  A'mighty  himself  could  n't  get 
them  off!  Sledge  ought  to  hang;  he  's  as  guilty  as  h — 1! 
Well,  yes;  a  trial  —  I  can  get  them  both  a  trial  —  in 
Cruikshanks's  court,"  Watson  laughed.  "  It  '11  be  a  mere 
form,  of  course.  It  will  give  them  twenty-four  hours 
longer  on  earth,  that  's  all." 

"  But  if  you  can  prove  Will-Henry's  innocence  — " 

"Falls,  dear  fellow,  the  ghost  of  Daniel  Webster 
could  n't  prove  his  innocence  to  a  nigger-hating  Holmes 
County  jury !  Lanier  Shirley,  this  lad's  father,  was  colo 
nel  of  one  of  the  foremost  regiments  of  Alabama  —  right 
here,  out  of  Holmes  County.  He  brought  home  enough 
Yankee  lead  in  his  old  carcass  to  start  a  foundry.  Lanier 
Shirley  is  a  Confederate  veteran  from  'way  back ! " 

With  cigar  suspended,  Falls  was  regarding  Watson  with 
open  amazement.  "What  has  all  that  got  to  do  with  a 
man's  right  to  a  fair  trial  by  jury,  thirty  years  after  this 
maniacal  struggle  is  over  —  and  forgotten  by  sane  men  ?  " 
he  demanded  in  deep-voiced  indignation. 

Hugh  laughed  again.  "  You  innocent  Yankee !  These 
niggers  are  going  to  be  lynched  to-nigh.t,  unless  this  farce 
of  a  trial  is  set  on  foot  at  once.  I  '11  see  to  it  this  after 
noon.  I  '11  get  a  severance.  I  'm  not  going  to  defend 


"IN   MY   LADY'S   CHAMBER"    197 

Sledge.  Oh,  the  court  will  appoint  some  attorney  as 
Sledge's  counsel;  and  I  '11  hunt  up  some  technicality, 
anything  will  do,  and  hang  on  for  time." 

Falls  rose  to  go. 

"  Here ! "  cried  Hugh,  laying  violent  hands  upon  him 
and  forcing  him  down  into  his  chair.  "  Did  you  think 
I  'm  going  to  do  this  '  all  for  the  love  o'  you '  ?  There 
is  a  string  on  it;  it  's  going  to  be  done  on  the  condition 
following,  to  wit "  (he  leaned  over  Falls,  his  hands  upon 
his  shoulders,  an  unaccustomed  gravity  in  voice  and  eyes) : 
"  You  are  to  promise  me  upon  honor,  Falls,  that  you  will 
not  say  a  word  about  this  hanging,  nor  take  any  hand 
in  it,  unless  you  are  yourself  molested.  In  that  case, 
promise  me,  Falls,  that  if  that  should  happen,  you  will 
leave  all  to  me.  You  will  follow  my  advice,  eh,  Gregory  ?  " 

Watson's  golden  voice  had  sunk  to  its  most  wooing  note. 
He  hung  over  the  big  fellow  with  a  suppressed  passion 
of  tenderness  and  anxiety. 

"  Is  it  fair  to  tie  me  up  like  this  ? "  asked  Falls  rest 
ively. 

"  Yes ;  it  is  fair."  Hugh  paused  a  moment,  hesitated. 
Falls's  reserve  was  a  barrier  difficult  to  surmount.  "  I 
know  a  word  to  conjure  with,"  he  said  at  last.  "  Do  not 
force  me  to  use  it,  Falls.  If  you  knew  that,  by  placing 
yourself  in  danger  —  by  taking  any  part,  no  matter  how 
slight  in  this  trouble  here  —  you  were  causing  pain,  rack 
ing  a  woman's  soul  with  anxiety  — "  He  paused,  and, 
turning  from  Falls,  adjusted  a  picture-frame  upon  the 
mantelpiece,  as  he  passed  it,  with  a  nervous  hand,  and  left 
the  room.  He  had  turned  Joan's  sweet  face  to  Falls  — 
and  left  the  two  together. 

He  heard  the  street  door  close  a  moment  later,  and 


198  THE    NORTHERNER 

when  he  returned  to  the  sitting-room  he  found  a  slip  of 
paper  inscribed  with  the  two  words,  "  I  promise,"  in 
Falls's  writing,  in  the  empty  frame  which  had  held  Joan's 
picture. 

"Light  everything  in  the  room  that  will  light,  Milly 
Ann!  I  'm  going  to  dress." 

It  was  the  night  of  the  Dixie  Club  ball,  and  Joan, 
standing  in  the  middle  of  her  room,  issued  her  orders 
with  the  brief  incisiveness  of  a  general  upon  the  eve  of 
battle. 

"  Put  my  gown  on  the  bed,  —  slippers,  stockings,  —  all 
those  petticoats,  the  one  with  chiffon  flounces  on  top. 
Now  get  out  of  my  way,  while  I  do  my  hair  —  and  don't 
be  a  goose ! "  This  last  in  laughing  admonition,  as  she 
caught  sight  of  Milly  Ann's  black  face  in  the  mirror 
literally  molten  with  admiration. 

The  hair-dressing  went  on  in  silence  for  a  few  minutes ; 
the  shining  twists  of  Joan's  bright  hair  were  drawn  deftly, 
high  upon  her  graceful  head  —  the  baby  love-locks  upon 
her  square  white  brow  being  left  to  their  own  sweet  will 
—  a  cluster  of  pearls  securing  a  single,  half-opened  red 
rose,  set  high  and  almost  hidden  among  the  crisp  waves. 

"  Milly  Ann !  " 

"  Ya'as  'm." 

"  Have  you  heard  from  Rosebud  lately  ?  " 

"Naw  'm;  I  ain't  never  heard  fum  Rosebud.  Rose 
ain't  never  writ  to  nobody  'n  'Dairville  sence  she  went 
erway." 

"Is  n't  that  funny?" 

"  Naw  'm ;  Rose  did  n't  never  go  wid  her  own  color 
none ;  Rose  'lows  she  's  w'ite  folks ! "  Milly  Ann's  soft 


"IN    MY    LADY'S    CHAMBER"    199 

gurgle  of  laughter  was  discreetly  suppressed  as  Joan  made 
no  reply.  "  But  de  niggers,  dey  ain't  spiling  none  'bouten 
hit.  De  colored  folks  is  dun  turn  de  back  er  deir  ha-an' 
to  Rose." 

"Why,  Milly  Ann,  I  thought  Rosebud  was  a  nice 
girl- 

"  Rosebud  ain't  got  no  ca'acter,  Miss  Jone ;  dat  's  hit, 
no  ca'acter !  " 

"  0  Milly  Ann,  it  's  wicked  to  speak  so  — " 

Milly  Ann's  snort  of  indignant  protest  was  not  so  sup 
pressed  as  to  be  totally  without  effect. 

"  Wen  folkses  gits  deyse'ves  read  outen  de  churches, 
'tain't  no  'casion  fur  nobody  to  holt  dey  ha-an'  no  longer ! 
Wen  de  churches  dun  sed  dey  say,  den  common  folkses 
kin  say  dey  say.  Ennyhow  dey  doose  hit/'  with  philo 
sophical  calm. 

Joan  had  been  familiar  all  her  life  with  this  form 
of  condign  punishment  meted  out  by  the  churches  to  some 
erring  member;  it  was  equivalent,  she  knew,  to  social 
ostracism  among  white  people. 

"  How  long  has  this  talk  about  Rosebud  been  going 
on,  Milly  Ann?" 

"  She  wuz  read  outen  de  churches  'bouten  the  time 
Mist'r  Falls's  'chinery  bruk  down  —  when  he  went  to 
de  N"orf  to  git  hit  mended  up." 

The  eyes  of  the  two  girls  met  in  the  mirror ;  Joan's  cool 
and  wide,  a  frozen  pain  in  their  depths;  Milly  Ann's 
kind,  inscrutable,  a  warm  loyalty  to  Joan  overlying  the 
hereditary  infidelities  of  her  race. 

"  I  would  not  be  too  quick  to  think  evil,  Milly  Ann," 
said  Joan  gently;  "it  is  very  wicked  to  start  this  sort 
of  talk  about  poor  Rosebud.  Get  my  skirt  now." 


200  THE    NORTHERNER 

The  birthday  gown  was  a  thing  of  beauty.  Fashioned 
of  satin  as  thick  and  soft  as  Venetian  leather,  and  the 
color  of  the  bands  of  green  ether  which  lie  along  the 
horizon  after  sunset  on  cold,  clear  winter  days,  it  was 
softened  by  a  vapor  of  chiffon  held  close  to  the  shining 
surface  of  the  satin  by  the  weight  of  its  own  embroid 
eries,  through  which  the  pale  sheen  of  the  satin  struck 
with  a  broken  gleam  like  moonlight.  Joan's  figure,  as 
she  moved,  seemed  enveloped  in  a  delicate  green  haze. 
Her  bust  rose  from  the  low,  clinging  corsage  like  the 
petals  of  a  newly  opened  lily  from  out  its  calyx,  its 
snowy  swell  unbroken  save  for  a  triple  row  of  pearl;-. 
A  wisp  of  the  green  vapor  did  duty  for  a  sleeve,  droop 
ing  low  upon  her  arm  to  meet  the  loose  folds  of  her 
glove. 

Joan  leaned  closer  to  the  mirror  after  the  maid  had 
left  her,  studying  with  wistful  dissatisfaction  the  effect 
of  the  red  rose  in  her  hair.  It  dominated  the  color  scheme 
of  her  toilette  like  a  deep,  rich  organ  note  amid  the  har 
monies  of  silver  flutes. 

Turning  aside,  Joan  took  up  a  cluster  of  long,  creamy 
buds,  and  tried  the  effect  of  their  sulphur-green  hearts 
against  the  color  of  her  gown,  catching  her  breath  with 
sheer  artistic  delight  in  the  combination.  Caldwell's 
flowers!  She  looked  at  them  a  moment  longer,  let  them 
trail  against  her  skirt,  gloating  upon  their  beauty,  then 
laid  them  aside  and  took  instead  a  dozen  long-stemmed 
beauties  whose  glowing  hearts  matched  the  one  in  her 
hair. 

"Is  yu*  gine  to  tek  these  raid  roses,  ur  de  ones  th' 
Guv*ner  er  Alabama  sarnt  yu',  Miss  Jone  ?  " 

"He  's  not  a  governor,  Milly  Ann;   he  's  nothing  in 


"IN    MY    LADY'S    CHAMBER"    201 

the  w-i-de  world  but  a  chief  justice!  .  .  .  The  red  ones, 
of  course!  Take  the  wraps  on  down." 

Watson  had  dined  at  Hillcrest,  and  waited  in  the  library, 
with  Judge  Adair  and  Caldwell,  for  Joan.  -  All  three 
men  wore  evening  dress.  Watson  and  Judge  Adair  were 
to  follow  Joan  and  her  escort  in  a  short  while,  and  all 
were  to  meet  at  the  ball. 

Caldwell  came  to  meet  Joan  as  she  entered.  His  glance 
went  instantly  to  the  flowers  she  carried.  He  raised  the 
heavy  head  of  one  of  them,  looking  with  raised  brows 
of  inquiry  from  it  to  Joan,  seeking  explanation  of  her 
neglect  of  his  own  offering.  He  had  the  deliberately 
tender,  half-masterful  manner  of  the  man  who  is  sure 
of  his  ground  with  women;  exquisitely  deferential,  his 
polished  softness  sheathed  a  cool  consciousness  of  power, 
a  relentless  purpose  to  bend  them  to  his  will,  which  roused 
a  latent  antagonism  in  Joan,  arraying  the  unyielding  ele 
ments  of  her  nature,  which  so  few  suspected  her  of  pos 
sessing  under  her  pliant  charm,  against  Caldwell. 

She  withdrew  the  rose  from  his  touch  with  a  supple 
movement  of  her  form,  and  flashed  a  bright,  daring  smile 
at  him,  challenging  and  coolly  unattached. 

A  faint  smile  flitted  across  Caldwell's  charming,  sen 
sitive  face;  he  gave  Hugh  a  guarded  glance  of  keen  de 
light.  There  was  to  be  the  added  joy  of  conquest,  then? 
There  was  another  Eichmond  in  the  field! 


XV 

THE   STRANGER  WITHIN   THEIR  GATES 

Dixie  Club  had  for  its  residence  a  massive  colo- 
J_  nial  building  standing  within  its  own  grounds,  which 
had  been  restored,  together  with  the  building,  as  nearly 
as  possible  to  their  old-time  formal  grandeur.  The  house 
had  been  one  of  the  most  imposing  of  the  antebellum  resi 
dences  until,  fallen  from  its  high  estate,  it  had  passed 
into  the  lavish  keeping  of  its  present  owners. 

The  clubmen  had  been  wise  enough  to  adapt  themselves 
to  their  house  rather  than  attempt  to  bend  its  unyielding 
austerity  to  their  more  modern  ideas;  and  its  restoration 
had  been  along  the  lines  of  early  colonial  taste. 

The  stately  drawing-rooms  on  either  side  of  the  hall 
were  decorated  in  the  pure,  pale  colors,  the  classic  lines, 
the  marble  and  polished  floors,  of  its  old  estate,  every 
where  to-night  wreathed  and  garnished  with  masses  of 
holly  and  mistletoe.  Huge  crystal  chandeliers  shed  the 
radiance  of  wax  candles  upon  the  scene,  while  in  the  hall 
the  Yule  log  burned  in  a  great  fireplace  which  yawned  like 
a  glowing  cavern  midway  the  length  of  the  hall.  Under 
the  arch  of  the  staircase,  and  full  in  the  hearth's  red  glow, 
a  huge  holly-crowned  table  bore  sturdily  the  weight  of 
massive  silver  tankards  filled  with  steaming  apple-toddy 
and  egg-nog,  served  by  old-time  "  aunties  "  in  snowy  white, 

202 


WITHIN    THEIR    GATES          203 

with  bright-colored  turbans  on  their  heads,  who  tendered 
to  each  guest  a  cup  of  Christmas  cheer,  upon  which  floated 
a  bit  of  mistletoe. 

For  this  was  to  be  an  old-time  Dixie  function;  a  regu 
lar  "  befo'  de  wah  "  ball,  a  compliment  tendered  to  the  old 
regime  by  the  New  South,  and  Adairville's  four  hundred 
had  met  to  do  it  honor;  the  past  and  the  present  were 
met  to-night  to  quaff  a.  cup  to  the  future. 

The  great  doors  of  entrance  were  flung  wide  in  hos 
pitable  greeting,  and  the  reception  committee  stood  within, 
welcoming  the  guests.  By  eleven  o'clock  the  rooms  were 
fairly  full,  and  the  pendants  of  the  chandeliers  kept  a 
tinkling  accompaniment  to  the  cheerful  hum  of  talk  which 
almost  overpowered  the  insistent  strains  of  the  band  in 
the  distance,  playing  over  and  over  the  piercing  strains 
of  Dixie. 

Watson,  standing  in  the  group  of  gentlemen  in  the  hall, 
and  receiving  the  guests,  felt  a  cautious  touch  upon  his 
arm,  and  found  Jemmy  Page  at  his  elbow. 

"  Come  outside  a  minute,  Hugh." 

"  I  cannot  leave  my  place,  Jemmy." 

"  Well,  listen  —  and  fur  Gawd's  sake  don't  let  on  I 
told  you !  If  you  do,  I  '11  deny  the  whole  blamed  thing !  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Hugh.    "  Get  on  with  it." 

"  Well,  stop  your  laughing.    It  's  about  Falls." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Watson,  keenly  intent. 

"  Urn-hum !  I  thought  you  'd  listen !  "  triumphantly. 
"  Here,  it  's  this  er  way :  I  like  Falls  —  I  wish  I  had  his 
muscle !  —  but  they  're  going  to  kick  him  out  to-night 
—  out  of  the  club.  It  's  all  fixed  —  cut  and  dried.  Hal- 
lett  and  Tawm  Evert  —  Payne  's  in  it,  too ;  'fact,  nearly 
all  of  the  clubmen  are  —  and  the  others  won't  do  any- 


204  THE    NORTHERNER 

thing  to  stop  it !  I  thought  I  'd  let  you  know.  Don't  ask 
me  any  more !  " 

"  Just  this,  Jemmy  —  publicly  ?  " 

"  'Course,  publicly !    Where  'd  be  the  use  otherwise  ?  " 

"  How  'd  you  get  on  ?  "  Watson  put  his  arm  about  the 
lad  and  drew  him  closer.  "  Don't  you  be  scared  —  " 

"  Scared !  "  cried  the  boy  roughly.  "  Who  's  scared  ? 
It  's  this  er  way:  I  'm  secretary  of  the  club,  you  know 
—  I  heard  it  talked  —  I  'd  er  let  Falls  take  care  of  him 
self,  but  when  they  drew  Joan  in  —  " 

"  Joan !  What  er  you  giving  me,  Page  ?  There  is  n't 
a  man  in  'Dairville  that  would  dare  —  " 

"  It 's  to  be  when  she  is  with  Falls !  "  He  glanced  back 
over  his  shoulder  uneasily.  "  Lemme  go,  Hugh ;  and 
you  know  enough  —  all  I  know." 

The  waltz  within  was  just  over  as  Hugh  reached  the 
hall,  his  face  dark  with  anger.  He  endeavored  to  snatch 
a  moment  to  think,  to  work  out,  with  the  meager  facts  at 
his  command,  some  counter  plan  to  save  his  friend.  He 
sought  insistently  within  himself  for  some  excuse  which 
might  serve  to  detain  Falls  —  prevent  his  coming  to  the 
ball.  Yet  he  had  counted  on  having  Falls  here  —  under 
his  eye  —  where  no  trouble  could  result,  while  the  lynch 
ing  of  the  negroes  took  place,  as  Hugh  felt  sure  it  would 
do  before  midnight.  As  he  stood  swiftly  balancing  the 
choice  of  evils,  answering  with  mechanical  gaiety  the 
greetings  of  the  guests,  he  saw  Falls  approaching  from 
the  direction  of  the  cloak-room. 

As  he  flashed  his  eye  over  the  line  of  men  receiving  with 
him,  he  perceived  a  certain  stiffening  of  manner  as  they, 
too,  recognized  Falls's  unmistakable  figure,  and  they 
awaited  him  with  hostile  courtesy.  Falls  reached  the  line, 


WITHIN    THEIR    GATES         205 

bowed,  waited  while  a  man  might  count  three  for  the  mo 
tion  of  a  hand  extended  in  welcome.  There  was  none; 
they  returned  his  bow  with  ceremonious  stiffness,  as  he 
passed  along  the  line. 

In  the  hall  behind  the  group  a  sudden  silence,  like  a 
nipping  frost,  had  fallen;  laughter  was  hushed,  and  talk 
ing  died  to  whispers.  By  a  sort  of  mental  telepathy,  the 
knowledge  of  the  scene  in  the  hall  —  brief  almost  as  a 
heart-beat  —  spread  to  the  rooms  beyond,  and  Watson  saw 
throughout  the  entire  suite  the  wavelike  motion  of  heads 
turned  toward  the  hall. 

As  Falls  reached  him,  he  turned  to  greet  him  with 
genial  courtesy;  even  in  this  perturbed  moment,  Watson 
was  careful  to  make  the  distinction  between  his  ordinary 
manner  and  this  more  formal  manner,  which  he  conceived 
to  be  Falls's  due.  He  welcomed  him,  not  as  the  friend 
whom  Falls  had  left  a  couple  of  hours  ago,  but  as  one 
of  the  hosts  of  the  evening,  with  the  courtesy  due  to  a 
guest. 

Boiling  stood  next  Watson  in  the  line,  and,  as  Watson 
turned  to  him,  Falls's  hand  still  in  his  warm  clasp,  Boll- 
ing  felt  an  imperative  elbow  admonish  him  at  a  point  in 
his  anatomy  peculiarly  susceptible  to  advice.  He  stepped 
up  to  Falls,  gruffly  genial.  "  A  merry  Christmas,  Mr. 
Falls !  Will  you  —  er  —  pledge  it  ?  "  He  took,  as  he 
spoke,  two  glasses  from  the  tray  of  a  passing  waiter,  and 
tendered  one  to  Falls,  who  accepted  it,  raised  it  to  his 
lips  an  instant  and  returned  it,  and,  with  a  cold  bow, 
was  passing  on,  when  Watson  laid  a  detaining  hand  on 
his  arm. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Hugh,  still  in  his  grand  manner, 
"  if  you  will  excuse  me,  I  will  go  with  Mr.  Falls  to  greet 


206  THE    NORTHERNER 

the  ladies.  I  have  not  made  my  own  greetings  yet,  and 
Mr.  Falls  has  not  met  them  all,  I  think." 

They  turned  together  to  the  first  drawing-room,  where 
a  party  of  ladies  were  receiving.  "  Lord !  "  groaned  Wat 
son  to  himself,  "  I  'd  rather  face  an  ambush  of  Stewart's 
'  Bloody  Thirteen '  than  Mrs.  Jones  and  the  rest  of  those 
mothers  in  Israel!  Ah,  Al  Manning's  wife!  She  '11  do. 
She  's  got  brains  in  that  pretty  head  of  hers ! " 

Mrs.  Eldridge-Jones  stood  first  in  the  line  of  ladies, 
well  forward,  a  distinguished  figure  clad  in  heavy,  cream- 
colored  satin,  her  white  hair  turned  back  in  a  full  roll 
from  her  bold,  angular  face.  The  cold  gleam  of  diamonds 
was  everywhere  about  her,  and  the  colder  gleam  of  a  sat 
isfied  malice  shone  in  her  insolent  old  eyes  as  she  per 
ceived  Watson  and  his  companion  advancing  upon  the 
line  of  ladies.  She  turned  to  make  a  quick  gesture  of 
warning  to  the  other  women  in  the  line;  she  was  too 
clever  a  tactician  to  show  in  a  position  of  individual  re 
sponsibility.  Her  pose  was  the  impregnable  one  of  an 
exponent  of  public  opinion ;  in  the  insult  which  she  meant 
to  level  at  Falls  by  a  public  refusal  to  recognize  him 
socially,  she  was  firmly  resolved  to  have  the  support  of 
every  other  woman  in  the  line. 

But  Hugh's  shrewd  diagnosis  of  human  mind  and  mo 
tive  was  a  generic  one,  including  women  as  well  as  men; 
he  read  the  woman's  tactics  at  a  glance,  and  bent  his  keen, 
compelling  glance  upon  her.  She  met  it  with  as  bold  a 
one. 

"  Mrs.  Jones,"  he  said,  with  formal  courtesy,  as  different 
as  possible  from  Watson's  usual  genial  ease,  his  menacing 
glance  riveting  his  meaning  upon  her  mind,  "you  have 
met  my  friend,  Mr.  Falls  ?  " 


WITHIN    THEIR    GATES          207 

Watson's  tone  was  the  assured  tone  of  the  man  whose 
world  recognizes  him  as  a  power;  his  glance,  as  arrogant 
as  her  own,  was  full  of  the  freemasonry  of  caste  which 
assumes  as  impossible  the  slightest  divergence  from  its 
recognized  laws. 

The  traditions  of  a  lifetime,  reinforced  by  the  instincts 
of  fifty  years  of  social  diplomacy,  the  ritual  of  conven 
tionality,  —  to  women  of  her  class  more  binding  than 
Holy  Writ,  —  warned  her  to  avert  the  scene  which  would 
follow  her  refusal  to  recognize  Watson's  friend,  presented 
by  himself,  in  a  house  where  he  was  practically  host ;  that, 
and  a  chastening  vision  of  Henderson  Jones's  plebeian 
wrath  when  the  inevitable  explanation  should  ensue. 

With  consummate  cleverness,  she  changed  her  course. 
She  allowed  herself  to  seem  to  waver  —  to  be  convinced, 
to  generously  yield  the  point,  and  handed  her  sword  to 
Watson  with  the  grace  and  dignity  of  one  who,  yielding 
only  when  she  must,  yet  yields  so  tactfully  as  to  convert 
defeat  into  a  semblance  of  victory.  She  swept  Falls  a 
courtesy,  gracious,  if  cold,  murmuring  a  sentence  of  greet 
ing. 

But  to  the  end  of  his  life  Watson  never  knew  what  it 
was  those  suave  tones  uttered.  Falls  engaged  his  attention 
to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else.  He  stood  erect,  look 
ing  Mrs.  Jones,  who  was  a  tall  women,  squarely  in  the 
eyes,  with  a  glance  from  under  his  drooping  lids  so  full 
of  studied  insolence  and  deliberate,  cold  scorn  for  her  and 
all  she  stood  for  that  even  Watson  winced.  Thus  they 
faced  each  other  for  the  space  of  a  pulse-beat,  these  two 
strong  natures  with  glances  locked  like  blades  in  a  silent 
interchange  of  hate,  the  impersonal  living  expression  of 
an  immutable  prejudice.  Then  he  bent  his  head  to  Mrs. 


208  THE    NORTHERNER 

Eldridge-Jones  in  a  bow  so  deep,  so  studied,  as  almost 
to  savor  of  mockery. 

They  passed  on  down  the  line,  and  to  each  woman  in 
turn  Falls  gave  the  tribute  of  a  careless  glance,  a  profound 
bow,  a  murmured  word. 

"  Janie,"  whispered  Hugh  to  the  last  lady  in  the  line, 
a  brisk  and  wholesome  young  matron,  "  Falls  is  a  .friend 
of  mine;  I  want  you  to  be  nice  to  him,  will  you?  Not 
too  nice,  you  know.  Falls  is  a  lonesome  old  bachelor  — 
like  I  've  been,  ever  since  you  threw  me  over  for  Al  Man 
ning.  Take  Falls  in  hand,  won't  you?  Tell  him  about 
the  babies.  He  '11  be  tickled  to  death." 

She  led  Falls  away  a  moment  later,  making  the  circuit 
of  the  rooms  with  him,  talking  brightly  and  naturally, 
and,  as  she  told  Al  that  night,  "liking  him  better  every 
step  I  took." 

She  told  Falls  about  her  babies,  and  the  precocious 
things  they  said.  And  Falls  forgot  how  bored  he  was,  and 
laughed  down  upon  her  with  his  boyish  smile  that  so  few 
people  had  seen. 

"  Why,"  said  Janie  to  herself,  "  why,  goodness  me !  I  'm 
right  sorry  I  'm  married !  He  's  simply  lovely !  " 

Falls's  height  enabled  him  to  follow  Joan  about  the 
crowded  rooms  without  trouble,  and,  in  spite  of  himself, 
his  eyes  sought  her  again  and  again;  he  knew  the  man 
with  her  must  be  Caldwell. 

"  Joan  is  simply  radiant  to-night,"  said  Janie,  mali 
ciously,  as  she  detected  one  of  Falls's  covert  glances. 

"  Perfect  gown !  "  murmured  Falls.  "  Light  green  suits 
Miss  Adair  to  perfection." 

"I  said  Joan,"  persisted  Janie,  a  shrewd  smile  wrin 
kling  her  pretty  eyes. 


WITHIN    THEIR    GATES         209 

"  I  was  making  talk !  "  retorted  Falls,  at  bay.  "  You 
do  not  give  me  credit  for  my  honest  intention  to  provide 
you  with  a  subject  upon  which  we  might  differ.  There 
could  be  no  difference  of  opinion  where  Miss  Adair  is  con 
cerned  —  her  gown  now !  " 

"  I  think  the  gown  rather  takes  precedence  —  as  far 
as  unanimity  of  opinion  is  concerned/'  said  Janie,  serenely 
in  possession  of  the  information  which  Falls  fondly 
dreamed  he  had  concealed;  and  she  dropped  the  subject. 

"  This  is  mine/'  Falls  said  five  minutes  later,  standing 
beside  Joan,  where  she  and  Caldwell  sat  snugly  ensconced 
in  a  nook  of  the  stairs  under  a  nodding  canopy  of  palms. 

"  I  was  waiting  for  you,"  she  replied  with  a  smile  in 
the  dimpled  corners  of  her  lips,  though  her  eyes  met  his 
gravely. 

She  paused  a  moment  to  introduce  the  two  men,  who 
clasped  hands  with  the  perfunctory  warmth  men  feel  con 
strained  to  show  when  a  woman  introduces  them ;  a  word 
or  two  of  talk  passed  between  the  two  —  each  with  a  spec 
ulative  eye  on  the  other. 

The  first  bars  of  the  waltz  were  being  played  as  Falls 
drew  Joan  away.  "  A  whole  one !  "  he  reminded  her,  and 
she  smiled  her  assent. 

They  were  upon  the  floor  of  the  ballroom;  the  music 
swept  about  them  like  a  resistless  current.  Falls  placed 
his  arm  about  Joan  to  draw  her  out  upon  the  tide  of  the 
waltz  wailed  forth  by  the  violins.  But  in  the  very  act 
a  hand  touched  his  arm,  a  courteous,  stammering  voice 
accosted  him,  a  floor  manager  for  the  evening  stood  at 
his  side,  proffering  him  an  open  paper,  the  ink  yet  wet 
upon  it. 

As  Falls  paused  involuntarily,  in  amazement,  Stannifer 


210  THE    NORTHERNER 

spoke :  "  Mr.  Falls,  I  am  requested  by  the  committee  to 
hand  you  a  copy  of  the  rules  and  to  —  er  —  to  request 
you  to  leave  the  floor." 

Jemmy  Page,  his  handsome,  boyish  face  flushed  with 
embarrassment,  stood  bowing  at  Joan's  side,  his  arm  ex 
tended  for  her  hand.  It  was  evident  that  both  he  and 
Stannifer  expected  to  see  it  transferred  from  Falls's  arm 
to  his,  but  Joan  did  not  move. 

"  Thank  you,  Jemmy,"  she  said  icily ;  "  as  you  see,  I 
am  engaged  for  this." 

In  the  almost  perfect  stillness  which  had  fallen  upon 
the  room,  the  wailing  of  the  flutes  and  violins  in  the 
orchestra  rose  into  a  psan;  the  waltz  had  but  been  called, 
with  only  a  couple  here  and  there  upon  the  floor,  though 
the  walls  were  lined  with  spectators;  and  in  the  drawing- 
rooms  beyond,  the  hall,  and  the  more  distant  card-rooms, 
every  head  was  turned  toward  the  little  group  of  four. 
The  tableau,  during  the  brief  second  it  lasted,  was  not 
only  visible,  but  perfectly  intelligible  to  every  eye  which 
beheld  it. 

The  arrested  waltz,  the  floor  manager  with  the  open 
paper  in  his  hand,  Falls's  face  of  restrained  anger,  Joan's 
pale  dismay,  needed  no  commentary. 

Falls  had  stood  petrified  for  a  second,  then  he  said 
quietly,  almost  inaudibly :  "  Mr.  Stannifer,  I  will  ask  you 
to  stand  aside." 

"As  you  like,  Mr.  Falls;  the  committee  will  enforce 
its  rules  —  not  I." 

"  That  being  so  —  stand  aside !  "  Stannifer  courteously 
obeyed,  and  the  next  instant  Falls  had  drawn  his  partner 
out  upon  the  floor. 

With  trembling  limbs  and  a  heart  bursting  with  in- 


WITHIN    THEIR    GATES         211 

dignant  pain,  Joan  mechanically  kept  step  with  Falls's 
strong  turns  in  an  unconscious  obedience  to  his  will  and 
to  the  cadenced  motion  which  was  sweeping  her  along  in 
a  breathless  whirl. 

Falls  felt  her  tremble  in  his  arm,  felt  her  light  feet 
flag. 

"  Can  you  go  through  it,"  he  whispered  close  at  her  ear, 
"  for  my  sake  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  breathed,  "  it  would  not  do  to  stop  now." 

Falls  drew  her  imperceptibly  farther  within  his  arm, 
as  she  seemed  to  falter.  "  Lean  on  me,"  he  said  with 
gentle  authority. 

The  floor  was  filling  rapidly  with  waltzers,  and  Falls 
guided  his  partner  mechanically  among  them,  with  eyes 
which  saw  but  a  dimpled  shoulder  and  the  triple  row  of 
pearls  upon  Joan's  throat.  He  was  not  thinking  —  not 
yet.  He  was  hoarding  each  moment  as  it  flew,  gloating 
as  a  miser  upon  his  gold.  He  was  conscious  of  the  wall 
of  hostile  faces  hemming  him  in,  of  the  dull  murmur  of 
voices  which  discussed  him,  the  public  insult  offered  him, 
only  as  of  the  sound  of  distant  breakers  which  threatened 
to  snatch  from  him  this  girl  within  his  arms.  He  had  a 
dull  sense  of  impending  loss;  almost  he  could  feel  Joan 
slipping  from  him.  That  yielding  form  upon  his  breast, 
that  soft  cheek  blanched  with  pain  for  him,  —  how  could 
he  let  her  go? 

Involuntarily  he  tightened  his  arm  about  her.  "  I  'm 
going  after  this  dance,"  he  whispered,  "  and  I  have  to  start 
to-morrow  for  New  York.  I  shall  not  see  you  again  be 
fore  I  go.  Will  you  say  good-by  to  me  now,  here  ?  " 

"  Good-by,"  she  said,  with  a  fleeting  glance  from  eyes 
that  had  the  still  radiance  of  the  winter  stars  outside. 


212  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Here  is  Judge  Adair.    Shall  I  leave  you  with  him  ?  " 
As  the  old  man  drew  his  daughter's  hand  into  his  arm,' 
he  offered  his  other  hand  to  Falls. 

"You  are  such  a  stranger,  Mr.  Falls,"  he  said  smiling, 
"  that  I  am  never  just  sure  if  it  is  greeting  or  good-by, 
but  I  feel  that  it  is  always  in  order  to  shake  hands." 

"  It  is  good-by  this  time ;   I  am  just  leaving." 

Hallett  stood  with  Watson  and  Caldwell  in  the  group 
about  Judge  Adair;  they  had  been  in  earnest  talk,  which 
Joan's  advent  with  Falls  had  arrested.  A  nondescript 
greeting  passed  between  Falls  and  Hallett;  but  Caldwell 
offered  his  hand  to  Falls  with  a  cordial  clasp.  There  was 
a  warm  light  of  liking  upon  both  faces  —  in  Caldwell's 
an  expression  half-amused,  half-speculative,  as  well. 

"  You  have  dropped  your  rose,"  he  said  to  Joan,  as  the 
loosened  rose  in  her  hair  tumbled  to  the  floor,  and 
stooped  instantly  for  the  rose  himself.  But  Falls  was 
quicker  and  held  the  prize  high  above  Caldwell's  head 
in  teasing  triumph. 

"It  is  mine,"  cried  Caldwell,  "by  all  the  laws  of  sal 
vage  ! " 

"  Hark  to  the  judicial  mind !  "  laughed  Hugh.  "  Hear 
him  spin  the  cobweb  of  the  law  across  the  path  of  ultimate 
resort ! " 

Caldwell  still  smiled,  but  there  was  a  touch  of  chagrin 
in  his  eyes. 

"  I  have  not  the  judicial  mind,"  said  Falls,  "  but  —  I 
have  the  rose ! " 


XVI 

THE  VERDICT 

to  my  place  and  smoke,  Falls,"  said  Hugh, 
joining  Falls  upon  the  steps;    "it  's  too  late  to 
go  to  the  power-house,  and  too  early  for  bed." 

"  Yes,"  said  Falls  absently ;   "  I  was  coming." 

They  walked  in  silence  for  half  a  block,  their  steps 
ringing  clearly  upon  the  pavement. 

"  You  heard  of  that  —  trouble  there  to-night,  Challie?  " 

"  Oh,  yes ;  I  would  that  I  could  have  spared  you  it, 
Falls!  A  man  gave  me  a  tip,  but  too  late  to  avert  it. 
It  was  all  fixed  up,  you  know." 

"  Just  what  am  I  to  understand  by  it,  if  you  know, 
Watson  ?  " 

Watson  linked  his  arm  with  Falls's,  paused,  cleared  his 
throat,  as  though  he  had  been  going  to  debate,  paused 
again,  unable  to  go  on. 

"Well?" 

"  I  'm  not  really  a  brute  —  " 

"  Go  on." 

"  It  was  simply  an  excuse  to  force  your  resignation 
from  the  club,  Falls ;  that,  and  the  public  insult.  I  looked 
into  it  at  once;  it  was  all  perfectly  regular;  rules  all 
signed  by  the  committee  and  countersigned  by  Pugh. 
'No  man  not  escorting  a  lady'  —  a  stag,  you  know  — 
Could  go  upon  the  floor  — 

213 


2i4  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Preposterous !  I  saw  twenty !  You  waltzed  yourself, 
Watson." 

"  Of  course  the  rule  was  not  intended  to  be  enforced ; 
it  was  made  only  to  make  the  fellows  come  to  the  scratch 
and  get  the  girls  there.  It  was  given  out  unofficially; 
not  put  upon  the  bulletin  board  until  ten  minutes  before 
you  got  your  copy.  Stannifer  told  me  it  knocked  the 
breath  out  of  him  when  Pugh  signed  the  copy  for  you." 

"  What  's  to  do  about  it  —  except  kick  the  men  who 
put  it  up  ?  " 

"You  'd  have  to  find  'em  first,  Falls.  They  were 
mighty  scarce  about  there  to-night,  I  can  tell  you !  I 
did  all  there  is  to  do  before  I  left.  Filed  your  resigna 
tion,  together  with  my  own,  Judge  Adair's,  and  Cald- 
well's —  Here,  let  go  er  me,  Falls!  Don't  you  go  hug 
ging  me  here  in  '  de  day's  broad  light ! ' ; 

"  But  this  is  great,  Watson !  Judge  Adair,  and  Cald- 
well!  What  can  I  have  done  to  merit  their  —  their  —  " 
He  paused,  at  a  loss  for  a  word. 

"  There  was  Joan,  you  know ;  that  gave  color  to  their 
resignations;  but  I  never  saw  Uncle  John  so  angry!  I 
thought  he  'd  go  all  the  way  out  to  Hillcrest  after  that 
old  sword  of  his  —  covered  all  over  with  Yankee  blood  — 
to  run  Tom  Evert  through  with ! "  Hugh  shouted  with 
laughter  at  the  recollection. 

They  walked  on,  Falls's  arm  still  about  Watson's  shoul 
ders. 

"You  know  what  took  me  there  to-night,  Watson,  do 
you  not?" 

"  To  waltz  with  Joan.  But  why  should  you  not  go, 
Gregory?  You  are  a  member  of  the  Dixie  Club." 

"The  waltz,  of  course,  would  have  taken  me  anywhere  j 


THE    VERDICT  215 

but  I  could  have  denied  myself  the  pleasure,  great  as  it 
was,  had  I  dreamed  the  punishment  in  store  for  me  would 
rebound  upon  her  in  the  way  it  did.  Cowards!  And  I 
cannot  move  in  the  matter  —  I  cannot  drag  her  name 
into  it ! " 

"  No." 

"  I  went  there  deliberately  to  assert  my  rights  —  my  so 
cial  rights,  I  mean,  not  my  rights  in  the  club.  I  intend," 
he  continued  with  cold  deliberation,  "  I  intend  to  fight 
this  ostracism,  Hugh ;  not  that  I  value  an  entree  to  Adair- 
ville's  society  —  "  Falls  broke  off  with  a  cool,  brief  laugh ; 
"  but  because  it  debars  me  from  much  that  I  do  care  for ! 
All  that  I  care  for  most,"  he  added,  after  a  moment,  de 
liberately  ;  "  for  in  time  —  I  am  getting  to  see  this  more 
clearly  every  day  —  in  time  this  prejudice,  madness,  this 
poisonous  emanation  from  the  grave  of  the  past,  may  sep 
arate  me  from  —  her.  ...  In  a  tender  nature  like "  — 
he  paused,  steadied  his  grave  voice  — "  like  Joan's,  en 
vironment,  early  influences,  prenatal  influences  really, 
the  love  of  home  and  friends  and  kin  —  these  strike  their 
roots  deep.  I  could  not  if  I  would  —  and  I  would  not  — 
unwind  her  heart-strings  from  among  them.  Mine  must 
encompass  both  —  her  heart,  I  mean,  and  all  that  it  holds 
dear.  You  see,"  he  turned  to  Hugh,  "  you  see,  Watson, 
why  I  must  make  this  fight  for  social  recognition  here? 
T  am  fighting  for  standing-room  beside  Joan,  that  is  all. 
That  and  one  other  thing." 

Falls  lifted  his  face  to  the  cold  fires  of  the  stars  above 
his  head  —  the  great,  white-enameled  stars  which  burn 
over  Dixie ;  that  saw  it  drip  with  the  red  horror  of  blood 
for  four  long  years;  watched  its  slow  writhing  under  the 
surgeon's  knife  of  reconstruction,  and  saw  it  gather  its 


216  THE    NORTHERNER 

maimed  parts  together  in  a  new  birth,  born  anew  of  the 
spirit,  not  of  the  sword  this  time  —  as  he  continued: 

"I  have,  as  any  man  has,  my  own  happiness  to  look 
out  for;  to  win,  as  other  men,  the  woman  I  love.  And 
I  have  her  happiness  as  well  to  care  for.  You  see  that, 
Hugh?  And  I  must  have  time!  Time  to  wear  out  this 
insane  opposition. 

"I  would  not  declare  my  love  —  ask  her  to  share  my 
life  —  as  things  are  here,"  he  continued  proudly.  "  It 
galled  me  like  the  devil  to  have  to  accept  their  pity  — 
CaldwelPs  and  her  father's  —  " 

"You  mistake  the  position,  Falls,"  said  Watson 
gravely;  "they  came  to  your  support  through  a  sense 
of  fair  play,  not  pity.  .  .  .  Come  in,  while  I  get  a 
light." 

"Am  I  sleeping  here  again  to-night?"  asked  Falls 
in  surprise,  as  Watson  closed  and  locked  the  outer  door, 
and  then  turned  to  lock  the  hall  door. 

"Yes;  you  M  just  as  well.  Your  things  are  here. 
The  Honorable  Peter  Lacey  Jackson  has  taken  you  in 
charge,  I  see." 

"  How  'd  that  trial  go  off  this  morning,  Watson  ?  I 
have  been  so  busy  all  day  I  could  not  get  off;  and  every 
thing  seemed  so  quiet  —  the  thing  seems  to  have  blown 
over  —  eh  ?  " 

"  Oh,  it  was  quiet,  deadly  quiet !  Well  —  "  Watson 
yawned  and  laughed.  He  had  divested  himself  of  his 
coat  and  waistcoat;  he  walked  about  the  room  while  he 
told  of  the  trial. 

"Well  —  we  went  to  trial,  with  the  sheriff  and  four 
or  five  deputies  and  forty-two  soldiers  of  the  Alabama 
National  Guard  lined  up  in  the  court-house  guarding  the 


THE   VERDICT  217 

prisoners.  Poor  devils,  they  were  ashy  with  fear.  The 
black  ones  get  about  the  color  of  these  ashes  in  my  pipe; 
the  yellow  ones,  like  Will-Henry,  turn  green;  they  were 
all  of  that.  We  had  to  get  a  jury  first  —  we  had  a  special 
venire  of  sixty,  county  men  most  of  them.  There  was  the 
usual  fight  over  them.  McClung  and  I  —  McClung  'a 
the  prosecuting  attorney,  pretty  fair  lawyer.  He  'd  been 
out  at  Hillcrest  dancing  all  night,  and  could  hardly  keep 
his  eyes  open.  He  'A  just  as  well  have  laid  down  on  a 
bench  and  had  his  nap  out.  I  weeded  out  all  the  ex-Con 
federate  soldiers,  and  their  sons  and  grandsons;  and  Mc 
Clung  went  for  the  niggers  and  the  Republicans  —  there 
were  two  or  three  of  each  —  and  then  we  had  n't  any  more 
challenges.  But  we  had  got  a  hanging  jury.  I  saw  it 
in  their  damned  old  eyes !  Tony  asked  'em  in  great  shape 
the  usual  questions  —  if  they  had  their  minds  already 
made  up  —  I  nearly  laughed  right  out  in  court !  Minds 
made  up  ?  Why,  men  of  that  sort  in  this  State  have  their 
minds  made  up  fifty  years  before  they  are  born,  on  all 
questions  concerning  a  nigger,  and  set  like  the  tension 
of  a  typewriter  when  it  comes  from  the  factory. 

"  But  they  said  no,  and  that  they  would  convict  on  cir 
cumstantial  evidence.  They  might  as  well  have  added, 
'  or  without  it/  but  Tony  forgot  to  ask  that. 

"And  at  last  we  got  down  to  business;  I  made  my 
motion  for  a  severance,  and  Tony  let  *er  go.  Named 
Charlton  Finn  to  defend  Sledge.  The  State  had  Sledge 
on  the  stand,  but  I  got  him  later  on  the  cross-examination. 
He  bungled  and  lied  and  contradicted  himself  nigger  way, 
you  know;  he  never  saw  Will-Henry  in  his  life  until  they 
met  here  in  jail  —  and  I  made  him  say  so." 

Watson  gazed  meditatively  into  the  fire. 


2i8  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  There  was  not  a  scintilla  of  proof  against  Will-Henry, 
first  nor  last  —  " 

"  You  got  him  off !  "  cried  Falls  exultantly. 

"  A-w  naw,  Falfe,  naw !  Ur  nigger,  charged  with  killing 
a  white  man  —  in  Holmes  County!  Nothing  on  earth  or 
in  heaven  could  have  got  him  off,  I  tell  you! 

"  I  summed  up  the  evidence  —  made  the  jury  a  fair 
talk;  we  looked  each  other  in  the  eye  for  fifteen  minutes 

—  not  a  shadow  of  proof  against  my  client,  mind  you! 
But  —  I  knew  he  was  a  gone  'coon !     Tony  charged  'em 
on  the  law  straight  and  fair  —  oh,  yes,  he  knows !    There 
is   n't   a   better   lawyer   in   Alabama   than    Cruikshanks. 
It  's  not  brains  Tony  is  lacking  in  —  " 

"  What  is  it  ? "  asked  Falls  curiously.  "  Somehow  I 
can't  like  the  fellow,  and  he  's  a  pleasant  animal,  too." 

"  The  hypercritical  call  it  principle,"  said  Hugh  dryly. 
"  Well,"  —  he  paused  to  laugh,  a  big  laugh  of  sheer 
amusement,  —  "  the  jury  was  out  exactly  three  minutes, 
and  brought  in  a  verdict  of  murder  in  the  first  degree 
against  'em  both." 

"The  devil!"  cried  Falls. 

"  Naw,"  drawled  Hugh ;  "  not  the  devil ;  a  nigger-hat 
ing  Holmes  County,  Alabama,  jury ! " 

"  What  's  the  difference  ?  "  demanded  Falls,  with  such 
scandalized  indignation  that  Watson  laughed  again. 

"  Mighty  little  —  when  it  comes  to  a  nigger  client." 

"How  did  it  end?" 

"'Tis  n't  ended  yet,"  said  Hugh  slowly.  "I  made  a 
motion  for  a  new  trial ;  Tony  was  all  serene.  I  M  a  good 
mind  to  take  Billy  by  the  ear  and  lead  him  out  with  me 

—  in  the  face  of  their  d tin  soldiers !  " 

"Where  is  Will-Henry,"  asked  Falls,  "now?" 


THE   VERDICT  219 

"  Holmes  County  jail,  waiting  his  new  trial." 
"  When  will  it  come  off  ?     Is  it  the  superior  court  ? 
Who  is  judge  of  it?" 

"  God  knows !  "  said  Watson,  with  weary  sarcasm.  "  It 
is  the  court  of  last  appeal;  and  they  say  it  takes  cog 
nizance  of  the  fall  of  a  swallow,  but  —  ur  nigger?  Poor 
devil!" 


XVII 

THE   MOB 

SLOWLY  Watson  emerged  from  the  purple  depths  of 
sleep  to  find  Falls  at  his  side,  his  heavy  hand  upon 
him,  his  voice,  tense  with  excitement,  in  his  ear. 

"  Watson !  Wake  up,  man !  There  's  the  devil  of  a  row 
on  down-town!  Listen  to  'em!  There  's  firing!  I  9m 
going  —  " 

"  Naw,"  drawled  Hugh  drowsily,  "  naw,  you  're  not, 
Falls.  Not  if  I  know  it,  and  I  think  I  do." 

"  Not  ? "  laughed  Falls,  a  ring  of  gaiety  in  his  voice 
that  Watson  had  never  heard  there  before.  "  Not,  eh  ? 
You  just  wait  until  I  get  something  on  me  in  place  of 
these  silk  rags!  They  're  fighting,  I  tell  you!  Not  any 
old,  moldy  Rebel  ghosts,  either !  Those  are  live  guns !  " 

"  A-w,  blank  cartridges  —  in  pop-guns.  I  was  in  hopes 
you  'd  sleep  through  this  mess,  Greg.  Don't  you  know 
what  that  is?  They  're  hanging  those  niggers;  that  's 
a  bona-fide,  howling,  sweating,  dirty  Southern  mob,  and 
the  choicest  Holmes  County  brand ! " 

Falls  was  heaping  wood  and  coal  upon  the  almost  ex 
tinguished  fire.  "  Get  up  and  dress,  Watson.  No ;  I  'm 
not  going  back  to  bed.  I  'm  going  to  dress  and  go  down 
there.  A  pack  of  dirty  cowards !  " 

Watson  groaned  in  comical  dismay.  "  A  nice  job  I  've 

220 


THE    MOB  221 

got  ahead  of  me !  "  he  soliloquized,  as  he  turned  reluctantly 
out  upon  the  cold  floor. 

"What  can  you  do,  going  down  there,  Falls?  There 
are  three  or  four  hundred  men  there,  armed,  and  drunk 
with  moonshine  whiskey  and  the  lust  of  blood." 

Falls  was  leaning  far  out  of  the  window.  "  Come  here, 
Hugh.  What  is  that  pounding,  smashing?"  He  turned 
resolutely  within.  "  I  've  got  to  see  this  thing ;  hearing 
won't  do  for  me !  " 

Watson  was  dressing  rapidly.  "  Sit  down  a  minute, 
Falls.  Listen  to  what  I  've  got  to  say,  will  you?  After, 
if  you  will  go,  why,  I  '11  go  with  you  —  you  don't  go 
alone!" 

Falls  paused,  impatiently. 

"  This  thing  's  been  gathering  all  day  —  pooh,  what 
difference  did  that  fool  trial  make?  They  were  as  good 
as  dead  yesterday.  I  only  got  it  up  to  quiet  you.  And 
I  brought  you  here  to  sleep  because  it  's  farther  from  this 
rumpus  at  the  jail  than  the  hotel,  —  and  besides,  the 
truth  is,  Greg,  I  've  taken  quite  a  lot  of  pains  to  produce 
the  impression  that  you  went  East  on  that  midnight  train. 
I  had  Lacey  pack  you  a  bag  and  leave  it  with  the  clerk 
to  meet  the  train.  There  was  a  spy  in  the  hotel  lobby, 
you  know.  Don't  make  a  light  here!  Those  windows 
have  no  blinds." 

The  dancing  firelight  filled  the  room,  and  Hugh  passed 
about  pulling  down  shades;  he  came  at  last  to  where 
Falls  still  sat  upon  the  table,  impatiently  waiting. 

Watson  paused  before  him,  his  hands  in  his  trousers 
pockets,  his  face  grave. 

"  Now,  you  listen  to  me,  Greg,  a  minute.  I  know  this 
blamed  old  town !  I  've  eased  her  through  lots  of  scrapes 


222  THE    NORTHERNER 

since  I  've  been  a  man,  and  had  to  stand  aside  lots  of 
times  and  see  her  bust  her  way  to  the  devil !  She  'a 
doing  that  to-night,  and  I  've  got  to  stand  aside.  Any 
influence  which  I  might  have  ordinarily  won't  be  worth 
a  continental  damn  to-night;  my  sort  is  the  sort  which 
appeals  to  a  man's  mind,  you  know,  —  influences,  con 
vinces,  —  along  that  line.  Those  men  out  there,  that  you 
hear  howling  and  smashing  in  that  jail  —  those  men  are 
not  men.  They  are  brute  beasts,  and  mad  for  blood  like 
any  other ! " 

He  walked  a  pace  away,  came  back,  laid  his  hands  upon 
Falls's  shoulders. 

"  I  've  been  dodging  this  all  day  —  dodging  telling 
you,  but  it  's  got  to  be  told.  The  fact  is,  Falls,  you  're 
bracketed  in  the  town's  mind  with  this  nigger,  Will-Henry. 
You  remember  the  street-car  trouble?  All  this  has  grown 
out  of  it  —  or  the  town  chooses  to  see  it  that  way.  There 
are  a  hundred  chances  to  one  that,  if  you  are  thought 
to  be  out  of  town,  —  what  with  the  two  negroes  to  glut 
the  mob's  appetite  for  blood  this  time,  —  you  will  not  be 
molested;  but  if  you  should  be  mad  enough  to  go,  or  I 
mad  enough  to  let  you  go,  upon  the  streets  to-night,  let 
the  crowd  see  you,  hear  your  voice,  find  you  opposed  to 
them,  and  no  power  on  earth  could  save  you.  I  could 
go  under  with  you  —  I  could  not  save  you !  " 

Falls  started  up,  shook  Watson's  hands  from  his  shoul 
ders,  thrust  him  off.  Almost  it  seemed  to  Hugh  that  he 
saw  the  man  for  the  first  time,  so  changed  was  he.  His 
somber  eyes  were  aglow  with  wrath,  his  stern  lips  curved 
into  a  smile  of  fierce  scorn  and  derision. 

"And  do  you  suppose,"  he  cried,  his  voice  shaken  with 
Bnger  almost  too  profound  for  utterance  —  "  do  you  sup- 


THE    MOB  223 

pose  that  I  shall  skulk  here,  in  hiding,  and  let  that  mis 
erable  negro  suffer  for  any  fault  of  mine?  /  put  him  in 
the  place  he  held.  I  held  him  there  by  force,  when  the 
poor  wretch  begged  and  prayed  to  go.  Is  he  to  hang 
for  my  act  ?  It  was  bad  enough  when  I  thought  —  I  sup 
posed —  it  was  but  the  natural  barbarism  of  this  place 
let  loose  under  the  guise  of  race  prejudice.  But  —  you 
amaze  me,  Hugh,  with  talk  of  this  sort ! " 

He  passed  into  his  room,  snatching  up  his  long  coat, 
and,  without  ceremony,  on  into  Watson's  chamber,  search 
ing  tables  and  drawers.  "  I  want  a  pistol,  Watson,  and 
some  cartridges.  Come,  like  a  dear  fellow,  and  get  them 
for  me.  I  'm  in  no  danger,  Challie,  from  that  cowardly 
rabble.  One  man  with  a  gun,  and  decent  nerve,  can  stand 
off  the  whole  lot  of  hysterical  cowards.  Alabama  mob? 
the  devil!  All  mob-stuff  everywhere  is  the  same.  Ala 
bama  or  Springfield,  Calcutta  or  Central  America  —  it  's 
the  punk  of  the  world.  Eotten  fungus  that  an  honest 
kick  will  smash/' 

Watson  got  the  pistols  and  cartridges  and  gave  them 
to  him,  but  when  Falls  reached  the  outer  door  he  found 
Watson  with  his  back  against  it,  calmly  awaiting  him. 

Falls  paused,  arrested,  and  the  two  stood  eye  to  eye  in 
a  silent  battle  of  the  strong. 

Falls's  brows  met  in  a  frown  of  intense  annoyance,  but 
he  spoke  gently,  almost  caressingly: 

"Don't  be  a  fool,  Challie;   I  'm  going." 

"No,"  said  Hugh,  without  his  drawl  this  time;  "no, 
you  're  not,  Falls.  Not  through  this  door,  anyhow." 

Falls  turned,  placing  the  pistols  high  out  of  reach  of 
either  upon  the  cornice,  thrust  away  the  chair,  and  turned 
back  toward  Hugh.  He  was  pale  and  fiercely  determined, 


224  THE    NORTHERNER 

but  intense  repugnance  shone  from  his  eyes,  bent  his 
troubled  brow.  He  made  a  step  toward  Hugh,  who  calmly 
held  the  door,  bracing  his  sturdy  back  against  it,  but  other 
wise  making  no  sign  or  motion  of  resistance. 

"  I  'm  getting  rather  bored  with  leading-strings,  Hugh," 
said  Falls  dryly.  "  I  ?ve  been  out  of  pinafores  for  quite 
a  bit/' 

"  You  'd  prefer  a  shroud  —  a  bloody  one  ?  " 

"Pooh!     Well,  Challie,  if  you  will" have  it  —  " 

His  heavy  grasp  fell  upon  Hugh,  swayed  him  fiercely 
to  one  side.  Hugh  wavered,  staggered  a  step,  caught  him 
self,  and  with  a  spring  regained  his  position  in  front  of 
the  door.  Again  and  again  Falls  thrust  him  back  —  and 
again  and  again  Hugh  sturdily  resisted.  Falls  strove  in 
silence,  twining  his  supple  form  about  Hugh's  bear-like 
frame,  bending  his  great  shoulders  like  a  ram  against  his 
side,  the  muscles  of  his  broad  chest  straining,  his  long 
arms  laced  about  Watson,  wrestling  like  Laocoon. 

No  faintest  sign  of  anger  betrayed  itself  upon  either 
face;  upon  Falls's  was  a  hard  determination,  as  he  still 
strove  to  twist  Hugh  from  his  place.  As  well  might  he 
have  striven  to  uproot  some  earth-locked  boulder  from  its 
bed  in  the  Cumberland's  deep  bosom! 

Suddenly,  as  they  still  strove  in  grim  silence,  broken 
only  by  their  panting  breath  coming  in  gusts  between 
set  teeth,  the  grinding  of  their  feet  upon  the  entry  floor, 
the  rattling  and  straining  of  the  disputed  doorway  —  the 
telephone  bell  rang  sharply. 

"  See  who  it  is,  Falls,"  said  Watson  coolly. 

Falls  had  involuntarily  dropped  his  hold  and  leaned 
panting  beside  Hugh,  who  calmly  held  his  position  in 
front  of  the  door. 


THE    MOB  225 

Still  breathing  quickly,  Falls  took  up  the  receiver. 
Watson  saw  him  start,  bend  eagerly  to  the  tube,  and,  when 
he  spoke  a  moment  later,  Hugh  knew,  without  further 
telling,  who  held  the  wire  at  the  other  end.  Falls  was 
speaking  in  a  voice  scarce  above  a  whisper,  a  tremble 
catching  his  deep  tones  in  spite  of  the  restraint  he  put 
upon  himself. 

"  Do  not  you  know  who  this  is  ?    It  's  Gregory." 

Then  Watson  strolled  away  from  the  door. 

"  Oh,"  came  softly  to  his  ear,  in  answer  to  his  name  — 
"  is  it  —  you  ?  How  glad  I  am !  I  thought  —  I  feared  — 
Promise  me  you  will  stop  there  —  will  not  go  upon  the 
,  street.  Promise !  " 

"  Give  me  a  moment  to  think,"  said  Falls.     He  leaned 

r  against  the  lintel  of  the   door,   his  brows   furrowed  in 

harassed    thought.      Watson    saw    the    struggle    in    his 

face,  the  wrench  with  which  he  yielded.     "Joan  —  are 

you  there?     Yes?    Tell  me  just  what  it  is  you  wish  me 

,  to  do." 

"  Not  to  go  upon  the  street,  and  not  to  leave  Hugh." 

"I  promise.     What?  ...  Oh!     Good-by." 

Falls  did  not  turn  immediately  to  Watson,  but  rested 
his  forehead  upon  his  arm  against  the  wall. 

Watson  was  looking  out  of  the  window,  smoking,  as 
Falls  threw  off  his  coat  and  hat;  neither  made  any  ref 
erence  to  Falls's  change  of  plan.  Falls  sat  beside  him 
at  the  window,  lighted  his  cigar  by  Hugh's  pipe,  and 
together  they  smoked  in  silence. 

From  the  third-story  window  they  had  a  clear  view  of 
the  streets  converging  toward  the  Court-house  Square; 
they  lay  wide,  empty,  and  white  under  the  mingled  light 
of  the  stars  and  the  arc-lights. 


226  THE    NORTHERNER 

The  clock  in  the  tower  of  the  court-house  solemnly 
struck  two,  trailing  a  long  echo  through  the  thin  air  that 
was  presently  lost  in  the  strident  clamor  of  the  mob  which 
came  from  the  direction  of  the  jail  two  blocks  away.  Then 
came  the  muffled  boom  of  wood  crashing  upon  wood,  fol 
lowed  by  a  resonant  clang,  as  of  some  heavy  body  falling. 
The  deep  murmur  of  voices  rose  into  a  brief  cheer,  rose 
and  fell  and  rose  again  when  the  splitting  crash  resounded 
through  the  night. 

"  They  're  breaking  in  the  jail  doors  to  fire  the  inside 
—  to  smoke  out  the  soldiers,"  said  Hugh. 

"  Soldiers  inside  ?  Why  are  they  not  about  the  entrance, 
holding  these  men  off?" 

Watson  blew  a  long  thread  of  smoke  into  the  air,  watch 
ing  it  float  off  into  the  darkness  like  a  pale,  writhing 
ghost.  "  What  can  eighty-four  tin  soldiers,  with  blank 
cartridges,  do  against  four  hundred  armed  men  ?  " 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,"  cried  Falls,  laying  an  im 
perative  hand  upon  the  other's  arm,  "  do  you  mean  to 
say  that  nothing  really  will  be  done  to  prevent  this  out 
rage?" 

"  There  will  be  some  show  of  force,  yes.  I  suppose 
Ainsley  will  look  after  his  job.  He  '11  do  enough  to  stave 
off  impeachment.  You  see,  Ainsley  is  rather  up  a  tree; 
his  son,  Bob  Ainsley,  is  leading  this  mob.  It  is  n't  likely 
Ainsley  's  going  to  give  troops  an  order  to  fire  on  his  own 
son!" 

"The  governor  can  get  troops  here  in  two  hours." 

Watson  calmly  knocked  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe. 

"This  will  be  over  in  thirty  minutes.  And  besides,  I 
understand  the  telegraph  wire  is  out  of  order  —  long  dis 
tance,  too." 


THE    MOB  227 

He  laughed  grimly,  as  Falls  turned  to  stare  at  him, 
amazed  at  the  cool  effrontery  of  the  way  in  which  this 
thing  was  being  carried  through. 

"  How  dare  a  Western  Union  operator  — " 

"  Bigeloe  's  got  a  pretty  wife  here  —  couple  of  babies 
—  she  was  a  home  girl ;  he  don't  want  to  be  run  out  of 
'Dairville;  and  electrical  currents  do  disarrange  wires 
sometimes ! " 

"  Jimmy ! "  cried  Falls,  the  puritanical  oaths  of  his 
boyhood  coming  naturally  to  his  lip,  as  there  stirred  in 
him  the  old,  stern  New  England  standards  of  human  lib 
erty.  "  This  beats  out  all  creation !  " 

"  They  're  coming/'  said  Watson,  leaning  out  and  point 
ing  to  where  a  column  of  smoke  rose,  wavering,  against 
the  sky.  "  They  've  got  about  ten  pounds  of  sulphur  in 
that  old  feather-bed  smeared  with  tar.  No  human  lungs 
could  breathe  it  five  minutes  without  bursting." 

The  first  dark  fringes  of  the  rabble  showed  at  the  top 
of  the  hill;  straggling,  retreating,  advancing,  like  the 
spine-like  antennae  of  a  gigantic  insect,  whose  body  was 
the  black  mass  below  the  hill. 

A  wave  of  sound  came  with  the  crowd,  keeping  pace 
with  it;  a  deep  murmur  pierced  by  quick  orders,  broken 
by  strident  laughter,  more  appalling,  considering  the  time 
and  the  errand,  than  a  curse.  The  ringing  tramp  of 
footsteps  upon  the  frozen  ground  beat  time  to  its  advance. 
A  vague,  indefinable  body  of  sound  hung  like  a  cloud  about 
the  moving  mass. 

The  crowd  moved  in  two  sections :  a  compact  mass,  dark 
and  silent,  which  held  the  middle  of  the  street;  and  a 
loose,  noisy,  shifting  fringe  which  hung  upon  the  pave 
ments.  From  this  latter  came  the  quick  patter  of  women's 


228  THE    NORTHERNER 

feet  —  the  flutter  of  their  gowns  —  the  shrill  calls  and 
shriller  laughter  of  their  voices. 

"Women,  too!"  muttered  Falls. 

Watson  had  left  the  window,  busied  about  something 
within  the  room.  Falls  did  not  see  with  what,  until 
Hugh's  voice  called  to  him  guardedly.  He  held  in  his 
hand  some  garments  of  strange  make  and  unaccustomed 
aspect  to  Falls's  eyes. 

"  Put  on  this  old  hunting-coat  of  mine,  and  turn  up 
the  collar.  And  this  'coon-skin  cap  — "  •» 

"  Challie,"  murmured  Falls  in  remonstrance,  "  don't 
make  an  ass  of  me ! " 

But  he  put  on  the  coat  and  the  cap.  Watson  stood  by, 
regarding  him,  when  he  was  attired,  with  an  odd  gravity 
not  unmixed  with  admiration. 

"  Jove,  Falls !  "  he  cried,  "  how  you  look  the  part !  " 

He  drew  him  into  the  bedroom,  turned  the  light  on 
by  the  mirror,  and  pushed  Falls  in  front  of  the  glass. 
"  Do  you  know  what  you  have  on  ?  "  he  asked.  "  That's 
my  father's  'coon-skin  cap;  he  was  a  captain  in  the  Rac 
coon  Eoughs.  No,  you  would  n't,  you  know!  It  's  only 
local  history;  but"  —  he  stroked  the  cap  tenderly  — 
"  if  every  one  of  these  absurd  rings  was  a  quartered 
'scutcheon  of  nobility,  I  could  not  be  prouder  of  it  than 
I  am!" 

He  gazed  at  Falls's  reflection  in  the  mirror;  his  dark 
face,  his  somber  eyes,  the  grave,  noble  presence  of  the 
man,  lent  itself  to  the  rough  garb  he  wore  as  noble  words 
to  some  homely  martial  ballad. 

"  I  think  you  are  all  right  now,"  he  added,  as  they 
returned  to  the  window.  "  If  any  one  notices  you,  they 
will  take  you  for  one  of  my  Pine  Barren  constituency." 


THE    MOB  229 

The  scene  below  had  changed  when  they  looked  forth 
again.  At  the  junction  of  the  four  streets  below  the  win 
dow  where  the  two  looked  down,  the  crowd  had  opened, 
spreading  itself  like  a  ragged  coverlid  upon  the  open  space. 
Under  the  arc-light,  swung  in  the  center  of  the  space, 
the  whole  scene  was  illumined  as  if  by  a  noonday  sun, 
except  where  the  shadow  of  the  framework  fell.  About 
it  men  moved  here  and  there,  like  quick,  moving  shadows, 
silently,  busily.  The  crowd  was  quiet,  too;  only  that 
indefinable  murmur  hung  like  a  rustling  curtain  about  the 
huddled  masses;  nothing  moved  except  those  dark,  hurry 
ing  figures  about  the  patch  of  shadow  which  lay,  like  the 
pupil  of  a  sinister  eye,  in  the  white,  unwinking  stare  of 
the  streets. 

In  the  intense  stillness  Falls  spoke  cautiously,  pointing 
downward :  "  I  don't  see  any  gallows  —  or  rope ;  do 
you?" 

"  Limb  of  a  tree ;  over  there  in  the  Court-house  Square." 

They  watched  in  silence  a  moment  longer;  and  Falls's 
hand  fell  in  a  grip  of  steel  upon  the  other  man's  arm. 

"  God  in  heaven !  Watson,  see  —  see  what  those  fiends 
are  doing !  There  —  in  that  patch  of  shade !  " 

As  Watson  strained  his  eyes  into  the  gloom,  a  ringing 
blow  of  steel  on  steel  smote  the  night;  another  and  an 
other  in  rhythmic  accent,  as  sledge-hammers  swung  aloft 
by  practised  hands  smote  the  head  of  a  stake  held  upright 
in  the  center  of  the  spot  of  shade.  A  spike  or  heavy  bar 
of  iron  was  being  driven  into  the  center  of  that  black 
altar,  deep  into  the  frozen  ground.  And  now  men  seemed 
to  rise  from  the  solid  earth  to  huddle  in  motionless  ex 
pectancy;  while  others  yet,  seeming  to  drip  from  that 
black  mass  of  violence  like  noisome  ooze  from  some 


230  THE    NORTHERNER 

putrid  body,  flitted  forward,  laden  with  logs,  with  pine 
knots,  with  empty  barrels  and  boxes.  Upon  the  awful 
quiet  which  had  fallen  like  a  pall  upon  the  waiting  crowds, 
the  homely  sound  of  splitting  wood  fell  sharply.  With 
incredible  swiftness  a  V-shaped  pyre  arose  about  the  base 
of  the  stake. 

"  God !  "  moaned  Falls,  his  hand  gripping  hard  the  sill 
beside  him,  his  strong  teeth  set,  "  is  this  hell  —  or  Dixie  ?  " 

Down  below  a  pause  ensued  —  a  question  passed  from 
lip  to  lip;  a  man  ran  across  the  open  street  and  tried  a 
shop-door,  tried  another,  called  back  something  of  which 
the  only  words  audible  were,  "  Bust  'er  in !  " 

"Coal  oil!"  said  Watson. 

It  was  quickly  forthcoming.  A  woman's  voice  rose 
shrilly;  a  woman's  form  leaned  over  the  low  balcony 
above  a  small  store,  in  her  hand  a  bright  tin  can. 
"  He-ah,"  she  drawled,  and  the  strident  sound  smote  to 
the  farthest  confines  of  the  waiting  crowds,  over  which  a 
shudder  swept,  like  the  dumb  moaning  of  the  pines  upon 
a  windless  day ;  "  he-ah  's  er  can  er  coal  ile.  I  kin  he'p 
erlong  that  much  to  burn  th'  black  brute ! "  A  man 
climbed  up  for  it,  and  sped  back  to  the  waiting  ministers 
about  that  black  altar  of  human  sacrifice. 

"  Come,  Gregory,"  said  Watson,  his  hand  on  the  sash, 
<jlet  's  shut  'er  down." 

"No,"  he  said  in  a  hard  voice;  "no,  I  '11  see  this 
through.  I  've  seen  all  the  evil  that  the  sun  sets  on  — 
from  Calcutta  to  the  Klondike,  but  this  is  the  first  time 
—  the  first  time  —  "  His  voice  broke  in  a  hard  shudder, 
his  strong  hand  gripping  the  window  shook. 

"  Sledge ! "  exclaimed  Watson,  as  a  dark  form,  huddled 
and  lurching,  held  upright  by  the  hands  which  grasped 


THE    MOB  231 

him,  was  thrust  between  the  open  ends  of  the  V-shaped 
pyre ;  the  ends  were  closed  so  that  he  stood  upright  against 
the  bar,  the  heaped  wood  reaching  to  his  waist.  In  the 
hush,  the  hollow  rattle  of  the  chain  was  heard,  turn  on 
turn,  binding  the  victim  to  the  stake.  The  bright  can 
flashed  as  it  was  lifted  high;  the  acrid  odor  of  coal  oil 
filled  the  air  as  it  was  poured  over  Sledge's  huge  black 
form,  naked  to  the  waist,  in  a  baptism  of  hate. 

A  faint  blue  streak  pierced  the  gloom  as  a  man  struck 
a  match  upon  the  rough  cloth  of  his  trousers,  and  a  thin 
column  of  smoke  rose ;  it  widened,  swayed  here  and  there ; 
a  blue  flame  trembled  a  moment  at  the  victim's  knees, 
turned  to  rose,  then  green,  and,  bursting  into  a  sheet  of 
blinding  radiance,  wrapped  him  in  a  winding-sheet  of 
pure  white  flame.  For  one  moment,  through  a  rift  in 
the  curtain  of  flame,  Sledge's  face  was  seen,  heavy,  bestial, 
his  dull  gaze  uplifted  in  dumb  agony  and  unconscious 
appeal  —  upward  to  where  the  great  cross  on  the  spire 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Christ  shone,  alien, 
among  the  stars. 

Then  from  that  huddled  mass,  as  from  one  parched 
and  gasping  throat,  a  hoarse  shout  rose.  A  curse,  a  groan 
ing  prayer,  in  one.  An  insensate  howl  of  the  brutal  lust 
of  blood;  one  long,  fierce  imprecation  uttered  by  the  in 
carnate  voice  of  an  ancestral  hate.  It  rose  upon  the  star 
tled  night,  and  sunk  to  shuddering  silence.  Rose  again, 
swelling  in  fierce  tumult  over  the  sleeping  town;  beating 
in  waves  of  hideous  discord  against  the  mountain  walls 
about  it,  which  hastened  to  join  the  tumult  with  hoarse- 
voiced  echo  in  savage  antiphonal. 

The  crowd  broke,  surging  more  closely  about  the  black 
pyre,  where  hung  in  chains  the  flaccid  body  of  Sledge, 


232  THE    NORTHERNER 

without  sound  or  motion,  wrapped  in  a  pall  of  sooty  smoke, 
pierced  by  leaping  tongues  of  flame. 

No  sound,  no  faintest  sign  or  motion;  no  prayer,  no 
groan,  no  curse,  had  come  from  behind  that  black  curtain. 

Sledge's  soul,  like  a  spark  struck  vainly  in  the  night, 
had  been  quenched  by  the  hand  which  had  lighted  its 
brief  candle;  reclaimed  by  the  Power  which  had  struck 
it  forth. 


XVIII 

A  LIFE   FOR  A  LIFE 

pillar  of  smoke  rose  some  twenty  or  forty  feet 
_l_  above  the  stake,  where  it  encountered  a  lateral  cur 
rent  of  the  air,  and,  extending  itself,  spread  like  a  canopy 
above  the  scene,  cutting  off  the  diffused  light  of  the  stars 
with  a  heavy  screen  of  opaque  gloom,  beneath  which  the 
arc-lights  glowed  with  the  iridescent  brilliance  of  giant 
glowworms. 

Falls  quietly  laid  his  hand  upon  his  companion.  "  I  'in 
going  to  show  you  something;  don't  say  anything.  Do 
you  see  that  fellow  —  there,  to  the  left  —  with  the  piece 
of  white  wood  in  his  hand?" 

"  Andy  Caruthers !  " 

Falls  leaned  far  out,  drawing  Hugh  with  him,  until 
they  could  see  down  the  wall  of  the  building  in  which 
they  were  to  the  pavement,  they  themselves  being  invisible 
in  the  gloom. 

It  was  a  corner  building  of  three  stories,  built  of  gray 
stone,  with  its  main  entrance  upon  the  pavement  just 
below  the  window  from  which  the  two  men  leaned.  A 
roomy  vestibule  led  from  the  street  to  the  entrance  door, 
guarded  where  it  abutted  upon  the  pavement  by  heavy 
iron  gates,  rusty  from  disuse. 

The  creaking  of  these  gates  had  drawn  Falls's  eyes 
downward  to  rest  upon  a  sight  which  caused  him  to  start 

233 


234  THE    NORTHERNER 

with  amazement.  Half  a  dozen  men  were  dragging  a 
prostrate  form  along  the  ground  to  this  entrance.  They 
had  thrust  the  man  within,  and  swung  to  the  heavy  gates 
before  the  meaning  of  the  scene  had  flashed  upon  Falls. 

Will-Henry !  It  was  Will-Henry  whom  they  had  thrust 
within  the  shelter  of  the  doorway  for  temporary  safe-keep 
ing!  More  sure  was  he,  as  he  saw  one  of  the  men  fling 
down  a  coil  of  rope  upon  the  pavement,  selecting  one  of 
their  number  to  hold  the  gate  before  he,  too,  sauntered 
off  to  join  the  crowd. 

As  they  disappeared  in  the  crowds  about  the  stake,  Falls 
called  Watson's  attention. 

"  Look  at  that  fellow  they  Jve  left  to  guard  him.  See 
what  he  means  to  do.  Ah  —  hah,  I  thought  so !  " 

Caruthers  tried  the  stout  billet  in  his  hand  across  his 
knee;  it  resisted;  he  glanced  along  its  length  and,  step 
ping  to  the  gateway,  thrust  it  through  the  staples,  and, 
turning  carelessly,  melted  into  the  mass  of  people  who, 
like  iron  filings  about  a  magnet,  drew  inward  toward  that 
black  pillar  of  smoke. 

Falls  started  up,  and  with  a  stride  reached  the  corner 
where  he  had  placed  the  pistols.  As  he  reached  the  floor 
after  securing  them,  Watson  stood  at  his  side.  Not  sup 
plicating  this  time.  He  stood  haughtily  erect  and  looked 
Falls  over  with  a  glance  of  cutting  surprise.  WThen  he 
spoke,  it  was  with  a  formal  courtesy.  "  I  thought,"  he 
said  slowly,  "that  you  were  under  promise,  Mr.  Falls? 
I  could  not  avoid  overhearing  your  conversation  with 
Joan,  and  I  so  construed  it." 

Falls  was  counting  out  the  cartridges  upon  the  table 
into  two  piles :  "  Six,  —  I  am,  Hugh,  —  seven,  eight ; 
this  is  a  plenty.  I  '11  borrow  back  my  pistol,  if  you  don't 


A    LIFE    FOR   A    LIFE  235 

mind,  Hugh?  It  suits  my  hand,  and  you  can  use  this 
one  of  yours  better."  He  was  loading  them  as  he  spoke, 
his  deft  fingers  pushing  the  little  cylinders  home  with 
urgent  haste.  He  slipped  the  surplus  cartridges  into 
Hugh's  pocket,  who  paid  no  heed  but  stood  in  haughty 
silence,  waiting  Falls's  attention  —  and  took  up  his  own. 

"  The  terms  of  the  promise  were,  Hugh,  that  I  was 
to  stay  with  you ;  not  to  leave  you  —  I  am  doing  that." 

"  Sophistry,"  said  Watson  quietly,  and  a  flush  sprang 
to  Falls's  cheek.  He  did  not  speak  for  a  second,  but  when 
he  lifted  his  glance  to  Hugh's  it  was  alight  with  a  frank 
and  noble  simplicity. 

"  Challie,"  he  said,  the  boyish  name  coming  uncon 
sciously  to  his  lips,  as  it  had  often  done  of  late,  "  this 
conflict  —  I  've  been  fighting  it  over  there  for  thirty  min 
utes  —  is  as  old  as  Adam,  and  the  first  woman.  How  I 
keep  that  promise  concerns  only  myself  —  and  another. 
That  other  will  judge,  and  I  will  accept  her  decision." 

He  laid  Watson's  pistol  upon  the  table,  took  up  his 
own  and  turned  to  the  door.  Watson  passed  through  it 
at  his  side.  As  he  did  so,  Falls  thrust  an  arm  through 
his,  and  together  they  made  their  way  down  the  unlighted 
passage.  Falls  turned  back  from  the  stairs,  rushed  into 
the  rooms  they  had  just  left,  and  returned  with  another 
pair  of  glasses,  which  he  thrust  upon  Hugh. 

"  For  fear  the  others  should  get  broken,"  he  panted ; 
"  I  don't  want  you  putting  a  ball  in  my  back !  Hugh,  are 
you  on  —  " 

"  A-w,"  said  Watson,  in  bored  resignation,  "  a-w,  get 
out !  I  saw  Andy  five  minutes  before  you  did  —  and  that 
coil  of  rope  on  the  pavement.  Yes,  I  do  think  it  feasible. 
If  I  had  n't,  I  should  not  have  budged  nor  let  you. 


236  THE    NORTHERNER 

What  's  ur  nigger  compared  to"  —  the  last  words  came 
with  a  rush  —  "  to  you,  Greg !  " 

Watson's  suite  of  rooms  extended  the  whole  length  of 
the  building,  which  had  a  side  entrance  at  the  far  end 
opening  upon  a  side  street.  The  halls  and  stairways  were 
in  perfect  darkness,  as  the  two  young  men  made  their 
way  downward  to  the  ground  floor. 

"What  did  you  say  was  in  here,  Hugh?"  asked  Falls, 
as  he  bent  with  a  match  in  his  hand  to  inspect  the  lock 
upon  the  door  at  the  rear  end  of  the  ground  floor. 

"  It  's  a  warehouse  for  machinery,  hardware,  reapers, 
—  stuff  of  that  sort  —  " 

"  If  she  's  not  full  up,  so  hard  against  the  door  it  can't 
be  opened,  it  '11  be  the  very  thing.  This  is  just  a  plain 
lock.  Stand  hack  a  bit,  Challie." 

Falls  put  his  shoulder  against  the  door.  The  wood 
strained,  the  panels  sprung,  the  knob  hung  loosely  in 
the  broken  lock,  —  but  the  door  resisted.  Outside,  dead- 
-ened  by  the  distance,  a  deep  roar  rose,  —  the  first  sound 
the  mob  had  made  since  that  initial  groan. 

"  There  is  a  bar,"  said  Falls.  "  The  jambs  must  go ! 
On  that  side,  Hugh.  Now,  together !  " 

With  a  splitting  crash  the  facings  of  the  door  gave  way ; 
the  door  itself  lurched  inward,  swayed  aside,  and  fell. 

"  If  't  was  n't  for  that  row  outside  — "  panted  Hugh. 

"  They  '11  never  hear.  Come  on  —  or  wait.  You  know 
where  the  vault  is  —  and  the  way  out.  I  '11  pass  him 
through  to  you." 

"Yes;   I  think  he  '11  mind  me." 

The  warehouse  was  loosely  packed  with  heavy  machin 
ery  of  all  sorts,  as  Watson  had  surmised.  It  was  distrib 
uted  without  attempt  at  classification  or  arrangement,  and 


A    LIFE    FOR    A    LIFE  237 

Falls  made  his  way  with  infinite  difficulty  through  it,  until 
his  hand,  after  what  had  seemed  to  him  an  interval  of 
hours,  rested  upon  the  lock  of  the  outer  door  which  opened 
upon  the  pavement,  and  behind  whose  iron  gates  Will- 
Henry  lay  upon  the  tiled  floor  of  the  vestibule.  Instantly 
Falls  found  the  key;  the  heavy  door  swung  inward  on 
well-oiled  hinges  without  a  sound.  But  he  might  as  well 
have  battered  it  open  with  a  maul,  for  all  the  attention 
it  would  have  attracted  in  the  uproar  without.  The  crowd 
had  surged  across  the  lighted  space  to  the  Court-house 
Square.  Montgomery  was  speaking  from  the  steps.  His 
voice,  pitched  to  a  note  of  maudlin  pathos,  pleaded  with 
the  mob  in  behalf  of  law  and  order.  A  line  of  soldiers 
came  at  a  quickstep  along  the  open  street,  and  as  Falls 
cast  a  hurried  glance  without,  a  flame  sprang  across  the 
width  of  the  street,  a  sharp,  simultaneous  discharge  shook 
the  air;  they  were  firing  pointblank  at  the  mob  at  twenty 
paces.  The  mob  answered  the  volley  with  hoots  of  deri 
sion,  with  yelling  laughter,  and  cries  of,  "  Spitballs ! 
Spitballs ! " 

Turning  upon  the  line  of  militia,  they  closed  with  the 
soldiers,  wresting  their  useless  guns  away;  the  soldiers, 
yielding  them  with  laughter,  and  with  hands  in  their 
empty  cartridge-belts,  strolled  into  the  yelling  crowd. 

The  miserable  heap  upon  the  floor  at  Falls's  feet  was 
as  insensible  as  the  maddened  mob  without.  Falls  leaned 
without  the  doorway.  Will-Heirry  lay  almost  beyond  his 
reach,  but  he  succeeded  in  grasping  a  portion  of  his  ragged 
clothing,  drew  him  nearer,  tightened  his  grip,  lifted  the 
man  to  his  knees,  dragged  him  upright,  and  drew  him 
within.  The  door  was  in  the  act  of  closing  upon  the  two 
when  a  breathless  gasp  fell  upon  Falls's  ear;  four  round 


238  THE    NORTHERNER 

eyes,  bright  with  mischief,  gleamed  upon  him  through  the 
grating,  two  pairs  of  ragged  shoes  scuttled  along  the 
pavement. 

"  Gee ! "  cried  a  boy's  voice  from  about  the  level  of 
Falls's  trousers-pocket,  "  ef  de  'lectric-light  man  ain't  dun 
stole  dat  ar  nigger  f  um  de  mob ! " 

"  Can  you  stand  up  ?  Do  it,  then ;  don't  say  a  word, 
just  follow  me,"  said  Falls  to  the  limp  bundle  he  held 
upright  against  the  door. 

As  though  electrified  into  a  new  life  by  the  firm  grip 
of  Falls's  hand,  Will-Henry  rose  and  stood  erect.  Hope 
filled  him  like  a  potent  cordial,  and  he  followed  nimbly 
as  Falls  began  his  tortuous  return,  working  his  way 
through  the  masses  of  heavy  freight  which  lined  the  space 
toward  the  rear  of  the  building  where  the  broken  doorway 
showed,  a  faint  blot  of  light  against  the  deeper  darkness 
•within. 

The  noises  outside  had  dropped  to  a  confused  blur  of 
sound,  broken  now  by  a  swift  rush  of  feet  upon  the  hollow 
pavement,  followed  by  an  indistinguishable  clamor  of  pro 
test —  by  yelling  laughter. 

"  Those  little  scoundrels  have  got  it  told  by  this," 
thought  Falls.  "  There  will  be  a  rush  to  the  other  end 
in  a  minute." 

Hardly  had  the  thought  formed  itself  in  his  brain  when 
a  deeper  roar  of  wrath,  of  surprise,  of  vengeance,  shook 
the  building. 

Vv'ithin  Falls  paused,  measuring  the  distance  to  be  trav 
ersed  before  the  rear  door  leading  up  out  of  the  warehouse 
could  be  made;  he  looked  down  at  his  trembling  charge 
about  to  sink  at  his  feet  —  and  his  grave  face  broke  into 
a  sudden  laugh  —  the  situation  was  so  utterly  prepos- 


A    LIFE    FOR    A    LIFE  239 

terous.  Outside  that  savage  mob,  within  two  men  and 
this  limp  fragment  of  humanity ! 

When  the  rear  door  yielded,  Falls  had  half-uncon- 
sciously  picked  up  the  stout  bar  of  iron  which  had  been 
used  to  secure  it,  and  carried  it  in  his  hand  when  he 
opened  the  door  through  which  he  had  dragged  the  negro. 
With  an  instinct  of  caution  he  had  darted  without  and 
rammed  it  hard  home  through  the  iron  stanchions  of  the 
gates  into  the  stonework  at  the  sides.  He  knew  that  it 
would  hold  unless  the  solid  masonry  should  be  torn  away. 
He  did  not  fear  attack  in  the  rear,  and  he  made  his  way 
forward  through  the  darkness  toward  the  opening,  drag 
ging  Will-Henry  with  him.  His  hand,  feeling  his  way, 
touched  Watson  on  the  breast. 

"  They  '"re  at  the  side  door,"  said  Watson  calmly,  "  btft 
there  's  no  need  to  worry ;  in  that  narrow  entry,  with  that 
sharp  turn  at  the  stairs  —  " 

"  We  '11  just  heave  a  few  reapers  and  things  across  that 
opening.  Take  hold,  Watson !  " 

"  Here,  you  're  not  taking  me  for  a  derrick  —  or  some 
sort  of  hydraulic  lift,  are  you  ?  " 

Through  the  dusk  Hugh  saw  the  flash  of  Falls's  white 
teeth  in  the  laugh  with  which  he  answered.  Where  had 
gone  Falls's  repelling  gravity  and  icy  reserve  ?  asked  Hugh 
to  himself.  Gone  —  Falls  was  as  frankly,  as  boyishly  gay 
as  though  he  and  Watson  had  been  two  lads  of  ten  build 
ing  a  sand  fort  across  the  mouth  of  a  purling  stream. 

"  That  's  a  good  place  for  Will-Henry  over  there  under 
that  eight-legged  thing."  He  turned.  "  Get  under !  "  he 
said  to  the  negro,  with  the  peremptory  gentleness  which 
he  might  have  used  to  a  favorite  setter,  and  Will-Henry, 
nothing  loath,  dived  under. 


24o  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Naw,"  said  Watson,  "  that  won't  do ;  come  out,  Billy. 
You  see,"  he  went  on  to  Falls,  "  Billy  has  a  right  to  defend 
his  life.  Give  him  a  pistol.  Now,  if  shooting  has  to 
be  done,  the  three  of  us  shoot  together,  and,  if  any 
damage  is  done  —  why,  't  is  Billy  did  it!  Eh,  Billy?" 

He  turned  his  brilliant,  rallying  smile  upon  the  negro, 
who  moved  his  stiff  lips  faintly  in  a  heart-sick  grin. 

They  stood  just  within  the  barricade  which  Falls  had 
reared  across  the  opening,  waiting  in  silence  which  pieced 
minute  to  minute  into  a  lengthening  chain  of  wonder  to 
the  men  within.  They  could  scarce  see  one  another,  and 
the  heavy  stone  walls  of  the  building  deadened  the  sounds 
without.  Almost  would  they  have  thought  the  mob  with 
drawn,  except  that  about  them  was  that  same  dim  sense 
of  the  presence  of  a  mass  of  living  men,  —  a  deep  breath 
ing  —  a  subdued  movement  of  restless  bodies. 

As  often  happens  in  moments  of  intense  mental  strain 
or  danger,  the  minds  of  the  three  men  waiting  within 
—  muscles  strung,  forms  rigid,  senses  alert  —  slipped  the 
leash  of  the  present,  busying  themselves  each  with  some 
trifle,  as  a  wave  waiting  to  engulf  the  shore  may  lick  a 
bright-hued  pebble  in  its  path. 

The  negro,  plucked  but  a  moment  since  from  the  noose 
which  lay  coiled  like  a  python  before  his  eyes  and  wait 
ing  to  choke  the  life  from  out  his  body,  thought  only 
of  how  hungry  he  was. 

"  Gawd,"  he  moaned,  nodding  with  fatigue  and  weak 
ness  above  the  useless  pistol  in  his  hand,  "  Fse  shore 
hongry !  Lawdy,  don't  I  wisht  I  had  er  piece  er  M'lindy's 
cawn  bread  an'  bakin  —  ur  even  er  'tater !  " 

Falls  looked  through  the  dusk  at  his  two  companions 
with  a  thoughtful  smile.  He  had  noted  Watson's  uncon- 


A    LIFE    FOR   A    LIFE  241 

scious  adoption  of  the  name  by  which  he  had  called  the 
negro  in  their  vanished  boyhood.  He  saw  that  the  years 
had  dropped  from  them  both,  like  the  folds  of  an  encum 
bering  garment;  they  were  boys  again  on  the  common 
back  of  Hillcrest,  playing  marbles,  punching  heads,  in  the 
glorious  freemasonry  of  youth. 

Never,  in  all  of  his  "  bawned  days "  had  Will-Henry 
profaned  his  freedman's  lips  by  calling  any  white  man 
master;  but  in  this  new  stress  of  fear  and  desperate  mis 
chance,  from  the  black  shadow  of  the  gallows,  hereditary 
instinct  woke  and  answered  to  the  call  in  both.  Watson 
was  "  Marst  Hugh/'  Billy  was  Watson's  "  nigger."  No 
blesse  oblige! 

"  Where  are  they !  "  exclaimed  Falls  at  last,  in  wonder. 
Watson  glanced  about  him,  without  answer,  at  the  heavy 
stone  walls  of  the  unfinished  basement  (which  had  been 
designed  for  a  vault,  but  was  being  used  as  a  warehouse 
pending  the  completion  of  the  building),  at  the  long, 
narrow  space,  finally  at  the  narrow  entry  —  the  broken 
doorway. 

"  Dey  dun  gorn  fur  de  baid,"  said  Will-Henry,  from 
out  his  bitter  experience  of  an  hour  before.  "  Dey  lef 
hit  at  de  jail ;  'spects  dey  gine  smoke  us  out  some  mo' ! " 

"  Sure ! "  cried  Falls,  with  sudden  enlightenment. 
"  That  's  the  game,  Hugh.  But  they  '11  have  to  come 
inside  to  do  it,"  he  added  with  grim  significance.  "  The 
wind  is  straight  down  that  street  out  there  —  " 

"  I  see ! "  said  Hugh,  a  sudden  horror  falling  on  him. 
What  schoolmate  —  friend  —  relation  —  whose  well-known 
form  would  he  see  dart  across  that  space,  and  fall,  never 
to  rise  again? 

While  his  mind  was  yet  tense  with  the  horror  of  the 


242  THE    NORTHERNER 

thought,  across  the  space  where  his  eyes  mechanically 
rested  a  soft  bulk,  propelled  by  many  hands,  shot  swiftly 
past  the  open  doorway  and  wedged  itself  into  the  nook  of 
the  stairs.  There  was  an  odor  of  sulphur,  of  tar,  a  suf 
focating  stench  of  burning  feathers  in  the  air. 

Thrusting  Hugh  aside  as  though  he  had  been  a  child, 
Falls  tugged  at  the  barricade  he  had  erected  across  the 
doorway,  tearing  at  the  unyielding  iron  with  frantic 
hands.  It  had  taken  the  combined  strength  of  himself 
and  Watson  to  place  it  there  inch  by  inch,  but  under 
Falls's  mighty  straining  it  slowly,  sullenly  gave  place, 
and  he  sprang  through  the  narrow  aperture  with  a  bound 
to  the  bundle  smoking  upon  the  entry  floor  He  trampled 
it,  kicking  the  burning  parts  aside,  himself  almost  invis 
ible  in  the  suffocating  clouds  of  smoke  which  filled  the 
space. 

"  Do  you  see  that  red  tile,  Hugh  ?  "  he  panted,  strug 
gling  for  breath,  his  lungs  bursting  with  the  foul  gases 
which  he  had  breathed.  "  There  in  the  entry  floor  —  Yes  ? 
Well,  whoever  lights  that  bed  again  will  have  to  pass  it. 
When  he  does  —  " 

"Yes,"  said  Watson  steadily. 

"  Can  you  shoot,  Billy  ?  "  asked  Hugh,  over  his  shoul 
der. 

"  N"aw,  sur,  Marst  Hugh,  —  not  to  hit  nuthen'." 

"  Then,  Falls,  I  'm  the  best  shot,  better  let  me  —  " 

" '  N-a-w ! '  '•'  said  Falls,  in  mockery  of  Hugh's  slow, 
musical  drawl,  "  n-a-w  —  together,  like  we  said." 

The  entry  was  dimly  illuminated  by  the  shifting  light 
of  the  torches  carried  by  the  mob,  the  pine  lights  flaring 
bloody-red  one  moment  and  sooty-black  the  next.  Under 
the  wavering  light  the  men  inside  could  see  the  entry 


A    LIFE    FOR    A    LIFE  243 

stairs,  the  black  bulk  huddled  at  the  bottom,  and  the  red 
tile  gleaming  like  a  sinister  pool  of  blood. 

A  cheer  outside,  the  sound  of  a  bounding  step  upon 
the  tiles ;  a  lithe  form  shot  within  the  open  doorway  from 
the  street,  a  blazing  brand  held  high  above  his  head,  throw 
ing  the  man's  face  into  deep  shadow;  a  long  coat  covered 
him  almost  to  his  feet. 

As  his  foot  touched  the  threshold  of  the  inner  doorway, 
he  stooped  toward  the  bundle  and  thrust  his  torch  into 
it.  As  he  did  so,  two  shots  rang  out  upon  the  air.  The 
man's  form  shot  upward  to  his  full  height,  wavered, 
whirled  half-round,  and  fell  its  full  length  across  the  red 
tile,  which  seemed  to  slip  away  beneath  him  in  a  slow 
stream  of  blood. 

A  second  passed ;  another  slipped  by,  and  another.  The 
man  lay  still  where  he  had  fallen,  the  lighted  pine  torch 
sputtering  upon  the  tiles  extinguished  in  his  blood. 
Within  the  dark  warehouse  the  three  men  stood  motion 
less,  waiting  in  an  intensity  of  silence,  listening  for  a 
sign,  a  sound  to  guide  them.  There  was  none. 

In  the  entry  outside,  the  lurid  light  ebbed  slowly,  re 
placed  by  the  steady  glare  of  the  arc-light  beyond.  They 
could  see  the  motionless  figure  of  the  man  lying  with  his 
cheek  upon  the  cold  tiles,  as  a  boy  might  lie  down  to 
sleep  after  an  hour  of  play.  His  long  coat,  dashed  aside 
in  his  fall,  showed  that  he  was  in  evening  dress  —  a  jewel 
sparkled  upon  his  outflung  hand. 

"  Who  can  he  be  ?  "  thought  Falls,  and  started  forward. 
Watson  restrained  him,  and  together  they  stood  listening 
intently. 

Neither  light  nor  sound  now  came  from  without.  Was 
the  mob  still  there?  Incredible  to  think  it  could  be 


244  THE    NORTHERNER 

g0ne  —  dispersed  as  noisome  vapor  escapes  into  the  open 
air. 

Their  ears,  bursting  in  the  silence,  caught  at  last  the 
hushed  lisp  of  cautious  footsteps  upon  the  flags,  the  rustle 
of  garments  brushing  the  walls  without  —  a  cough,  smoth 
ered  hastily  —  a  door  closed  far  down  the  street.  Slowly 
the  consciousness  grew  upon  them  of  emptiness  without, 
even  as  they  had  been  conscious  of  the  presence  of  the 
mob  in  its  silence. 

Gone  —  slipped  away,  leaving  the  dead  man  alone  upon 
the  tiles.  The  second  sacrifice  offered  up  upon  the  altar 
of  lawlessness.  A  life  for  a  life  —  a  soul  for  a  soul. 

"  I  told  you  they  were  the  punk  of  the  world ! "  cried 
Falls. 

"  Dey  dun  gorn,  Marst  Hugh  —  " 

But  Hugh  was  stooping  over  the  dead  man  and  made 
no  reply.  Falls  bent  beside  him,  raised  the  boy's  limp 
hand,  touched  a  damp  curl  upon  his  brow,  bent  closer, 
looked  again. 

How  strangely  familiar  the  young  face  seemed!  Those 
straight,  chiseled  features  fast  settling  into  the  calm 
immobility  of  death  —  where  had  he  seen  them? 

"Who  is  he,  Watson?" 

"  Lynn  Archer  —  Betty's  only  brother,"  Hugh  answered 
stonily. 


XIX 

HE  OB  i  —  CHOOSE! 

WATSON"  rose  at  last  from  where  he  knelt  beside 
Lynn  Archer,  turned  and  called : 

"Will-Henry!" 

"  He  's  gone,  Hugh,"  said  Falls.  "  I  gave  him  money, 
told  him  what  to  do.  He  can  flag  the  east-bound  train 
from  that  embankment  out  of  town.  He  has  a  line  to 
Blakeley  in  New  York.  Jim  will  get  him  off  to  the 
Bahamas  —  I  have  a  friend  there  —  " 

"  No  use  in  that,"  said  Watson  wearily.  "  He  's  as 
safe  in  Adairville  to-day  as  if  he  were  in  his  mother's 
arms.  The  reaction  has  set  in;  he  might  walk  the  town 
all  day  and  not  a  dog  sniff  at  him ! " 

Falls  laid  his  arm  about  Watson's  neck,  speaking  low 
at  his  ear: 

"  What  is  to  do  about  this  lad  lying  dead  there  on  the 
tiles  ?  No  need  to  tell  me  what  this  means  to  you,  Hugh, 
for  I  know  only  too  well.  Will  you  listen  to  me  ?  " 

"  No,"  in  the  same  lifeless  tone,  —  the  tone  of  a  man 
whose  brain  alone  is  living.  "  No ;  I  knew  you  would 
try  to  say  it,  Falls,  —  but  there  is  no  use  in  listening. 
I  know." 

Falls's  voice  sunk  lower.  "  No  human  being  knows  of 
your  presence  here  to-night,  Watson,  or  that  you  had  any 


246  THE    NORTHERNER 

part  in  this,  except  that  negro;  and  I  have  sent  him  off. 
He  will  never  return  to  Alabama." 

"  I  knew  the  moment  you  spoke  why  you  had  sent  him 
off,  Falls  —  so  that  I  need  not  show  myself  in  this  —  to 
let  you  bear  the  brunt  of  it.  But  there  is  no  legal  aspect 
to  this  thing,"  he  continued  in  the  same  dull  tone.  "  We 
were  upholding  the  law  —  this  poor  lad  in  open  violation 
to  it!" 

"  I  was  not  thinking  so  much  of  the  legal  aspect ;  it 
is  the  personal  consideration  that  weighs.  Miss  Archer's 
brother  —  Ben  Archer's  son!  Forgive  me,  Hugh,  but 
have  you  thought  of  this  in  all  its  aspects  —  how  the 
family  may  see  it?" 

"Aye;  in  that  second  when  I  raised  Lynn's  head,  I 
saw  it  all ! "  He  threw  himself  wearily  upon  the  stairs, 
and  Falls  stood  beside  him. 

"  Now  see,"  he  urged,  "  how  simple  this  is.  No  faintest 
shadow  of  intentional  wrong  to  bring  remorse  in  its  train. 
Why  should  you  suffer?  I  implore  you  to  be  guided  by 
me;  let  me  think  for  you,  act  for  you  in  this,  Challie. 
Go  back  now,  up-stairs;  I  stop  here  until  the  coroner 
comes;  only  one  ball  struck  Archer.  I  have  only  to  state 
that  the  negro  and  I  fired  together  —  " 

"  This  is  not  so  simple  as  you  think ;  the  negro  did 
not  fire.  His  pistol  lies  there,  loaded  still.  True,  but 
one  ball  struck  him;  but  can  you  swear  that  it  was  your 
ball?" 

"I  —  I  could  not  swear,"  said  Falls  unsteadily;  "but 
I  shall  not  be  asked  to  do  so." 

"Do  you  think  I  should  find  any  comfort  in  having 
sacrificed  you,  Falls?  No;  this  is  between  us,  we  will 
bear  it  together;  share  the  mercy  of  the  doubt  between 


HE    OR   I  — CHOOSE!  247 

us,  in  private,  and  face  the  world  together.  I  could  not 
sacrifice  you,  Falls,  not  even  for  — " 

He  rose  wearily.  "  I  must  go  —  I  must  be  the  first 
one  to  see  her  —  to  tell  her !  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Falls.    "  I  will  stop  here." 

The  winter  dawn  stark  in  the  grip  of  a  bitter  frost  was 
showing  its  face,  ghostlike,  at  the  window-panes,  when 
Ben  Archer  wakened  to  the  consciousness  of  a  careful 
hand  upon  the  door  underneath  his  window  tapping  in 
sistently,  waiting  between  each  tap  to  listen  for  the  an 
swering  movement  within  the  silent  house. 

"  Who  is  it  ?  What  's  wanted  ?  Lynn  —  Sonnie  —  is 
it  you?" 

General  Evert  cleared  his  throat  softly,  and  Archer 
started,  a  thrill  of  sharp  horror  gripping  him. 

"  Bennie,"  said  Evert  gently,  "  it 's  me ;  come  down  —  " 

Archer  was  already  huddling  on  his  clothes;  Betty  met 
him  in  the  upper  hall,  shivering  with  terror,  clinging  to 
him  with  sobs. 

"  Oh,  father,  father !  —  Lynn  —  he  is  not  in  his  room !  " 

Evert  came  inside,  took  the  candle  from  the  other  man's 
shaking  hand,  laid  his  own  hand  upon  the  other's  shoulder 
—  not  in  tenderness,  as  Archer,  even  in  this  tense  moment, 
knew.  It  was  to  steady  him  under  the  blow  which  fell 
with  merciful  abruptness.  Evert  had  broken  too  many 
hearts  to  bungle.  His  method  was  good :  one  short,  sharp 
blow  straight  at  the  heart's  core,  that  brought  the  life- 
blood  in  its  wake.  Experience  had  taught  him  that  they 
healed  best  broken  thus. 

"  Bennie,"  he  said  now,  without  preface,  "  Falls  has 
shot  your  son  —  dead ! " 


248  THE    NORTHERNER 

Well  that  restraining  hand!  Old  Archer  staggered 
under  the  blow. 

"  Falls  ?  "  he  gasped,  mechanically  drawing  his  weeping 
daughter  within  his  arms,  "  Falls !  " 

Evert  briefly  recounted  the  circumstances,  without  men 
tion  of  "Watson,  adding  in  conclusion  that  there  was  no 
redress  under  the  law;  Falls  had  been  upholding  the 
Jaw  —  Lynn,  with  calm  directness,  violating  it. 

After  the  first  burst  of  Betty's  grief  had  worn  itself 
out  to  calmness,  Archer  returned  to  Evert,  and  the  two 
old  men,  friends  of  a  lifetime,  sat  beside  the  cold  hearth 
for  hours  in  low-voiced  talk. 

"Watson  is  in  the  house  now,"  said  Evert,  as  he  rose 
to  go.  "  I  saw  him  go  to  the  sitting-room  some  time  ago. 
The  less  she  sees  of  him  the  better  —  for  awhile.  The 
wedding  must  be  postponed,  of  course,  on  account  of 
Lynn's  death ;  that  will  wean  her  by  degrees  —  What  ? 
Oh,  yes,  if  Hugh  consents  to  give  up  this  man  Falls  — 
to  cast  him  off !  Lynn's  murderer  —  how  can  he  do  other 
wise?  .  .  .  Betty's  heart?  Umph!  Let  me  know  if  I 
can  do  anything  —  else,  Bennie." 

Watson  had  entered  the  house  without  knocking,  and 
passed  at  once  to  the  family  room  at  the  back  of  the 
house,  where  he  hoped  to  find  Betty  or  some  one  to  send 
her  a  message. 

She  was  there  —  alone,  walking  softly  back  and  forth, 
sobbing  to  herself,  moaning  forth  Lynn's  name  as  though 
the  boy  stood  beside  her  and  could  answer  to  that  piteous 
appeal. 

It  tore  Hugh's  heart  to  hear  her.  He  had  not  often  seen 
Betty  weep.  She  had  her  father's  cold  poise,  and  rarely, 
since  her  childhood,  had  Watson  seen  those  bright  eyes 


HE    OR   I  —  CHOOSE  !  249 

dimmed,  had  need  to  comfort  her.  He  went  to  her  now, 
gathering  her  close  into  his  arms,  holding  her  silently, 
his  cheek  on  hers,  murmuring  words  of  tenderness,  of 
pity,  gathering  her  hands  against  his  lips,  kissing  the 
tumbled  masses  of  her  soft  dark  hair. 

"  Oh,  Hugh,"  she  sobbed,  "  my  poor,  poor  boy !  He  was 
mine  —  my  own !  I  raised  him,  tended  him  —  loved  him ! 
So  young,  so  gay  —  so  happy !  And  now  —  shot  down  in 
cold  blood  —  murdered !  " 

Her  voice  rose  hysterically  into  a  passionate  wailing 
appeal  to  him.  "  What  had  he  ever  done  to  Mr.  Falls  ? 
Why  should  he  vent  his  spite  against  Adairville  by  shoot 
ing  Lynn?  —  the  gayest,  happiest  boy!  Nothing  in  the 
world  but  a  boy ! " 

"  Betty,"  said  Watson  at  last,  and  paused,  pressed  her 
closer  to  his  breast.  Constrained  by  his  tone,  the  girl 
raised  her  face,  and  Hugh  stooped  and  put  his  lips  to  hers, 
kissing  her  softly,  almost  solemnly,  before  he  spoke 
again. 

"Betty,  Falls  did  not  kill  Lynn  —  " 

She  started,  gazing  at  him  with  amazed  eyes. 

"  Falls  is  no  more  guilty  of  your  brother's  murder  — 
if  you  will  call  it  such  —  than  I.  We  fired  together. 
No  human  tongue  can  tell,  not  Lynn  himself  if  he  stood 
beside  us,  whose  ball  killed  him.  That  will  never  be 
known  until  all  things  are  made  known  in  the  end." 

"  Oh,  Challie !  don't  try  to  take  the  blame,  to  shield 
him !  Who  on  earth  would  believe  it  ?  " 

Watson  drew  her  to  the  old-fashioned  sofa  near  the 
fire.  He  told  her  with  tenderest  patience  every  detail 
of  the  scene,  sparing  himself  not  at  all.  Told  of  his  offer 
to  shoot  alone,  impressed  her  with  the  fact  that  he  was 


250  THE    NORTHERNER 

himself  an  unerring  shot,  Falls  but  an  indifferent  marks 
man;  gently  leading  her,  with  all  the  art  he  had  ever 
used  to  lead  a  jury,  to  take  his  view  of  the  matter;  tried 
to  make  her  see  the  merciful  probability  of  doubt,  where- 
from  both  he  and  Falls  drew  comfort. 

She  grew  calmer  as  he  talked,  lay  more  lightly  in  his 
arms,  finally  withdrew  herself  entirely  from  him  and  sat 
looking  steadfastly  in  the  coals,  her  eyes  dark  with  tears. 

"  This  is  noble  in  3rou,  Hugh/'  she  said  at  last.  "  I 
love  you  for  it!  But  do  not  hope  to  deceive  us.  It  is 
perfectly  plain  to  me.  Mr.  Falls  has  avenged  himself  upon 
Adairville  —  which  hates  him  —  and  upon  us  all  by  mur 
dering  Lynn.  He  knew  the  law  could  not  touch  him. 
There  were  hundreds  of  men  at  home  in  bed  —  why  did 
he  have  to  play  the  hero? 

"Of  course,"  she  added  in  a  tone  of  quiet  assurance, 
"  of  course  after  this  you  will  give  Mr.  Falls  up,  Hugh  ?  " 

Watson  moved  restlessly. 

"  Let  me  tell  you,  Betty,  the  first  thing  Falls  said  —  " 

"No,"  said  she  with  quiet  decision,  as  she  drew  her 
hand  from  Hugh's  grasp.  "  No,  Hugh ;  I  do  not  wish 
to  wound  your  feelings  about  your  friend,  —  if  you  can 
call  Lynn's  murderer  your  friend,  —  but  I  never  wish  to 
hear  his  name  again.  To  me,  to  father,  to  our  friends, 
he  is  the  murderer  of  my  brother  —  my  only  brother ! 
None  the  less  his  murderer  because  the  law  cannot  touch 
him,  and  he  must  go  free  —  free  to  live,  when  my  poor 
boy—  Think  of  it,"  she  cried  passionately,  beating  her 
soft  hands  together  in  impotent  grief,  "think  of  Lynn! 
So  happy,  so  young  —  Oh,  Challie,  it  is  hard  that  I  must 
lose  you  both !  " 

Watson  flung  himself  upon  the  floor  at  the  girl's  feet, 


HE    OR    I  — CHOOSE!  251 

drew  her  hands  from  her  wet  eyes,  forced  her  to  meet 
his  eyes  with  her  own,  which  rained  bitter  tears,  unheeded, 
down  her  cheeks. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Betty,  by  such  madness  ?  "  he  said 
roughly.  "  Lose  me  ?  Child,  I  am  almost  your  husband ! 
You  cannot  lose  me,  Betty,  save  as  a  wife  would  lose  her 
husband,  by  my  death  —  or  yours !  " 

"  We  cannot  be  married,  Hugh,"  she  said  firmly ;  "  it 
—  it  would  not  be  right!  Lynn  would  cry  from  his 
grave  —  " 

"  Not  just  now,  darling ;  not  as  we  had  planned,  per 
haps;  but  after  —  a  proper  time  for  mourning  —  " 

"  I  shall  mourn  Lynn  all  my  life,"  she  said  with  pa 
thetic  grief. 

"  Betty !  "  cried  Watson  desperately.  "  My  darling,  do 
not  try  to  talk  this  over  at  all  to-night.  When  you  are 
calmer  —  " 

"  I  cannot  see  you  again,  Hugh,  until  this  is  settled." 
She  spoke  with  a  well-considered  decision  that  sunk  into 
Hugh's  soul  like  lead. 

"  Would  you  — "  he  was  beginning  passionately,  but 
she  took  him  coolly  up. 

"  You  leave  me  no  choice,  do  you,  Hugh  ?  It  rests  with 
you  —  do  not  reproach  me.  You  are  free  to  choose  be 
tween  the  woman  whom  you  say  you  love  —  " 

"Say  I  love?    God!" 

"  —  and  the  man  who  has  murdered  her  only  brother !  " 

Watson  walked  a  pace  away,  and  stood  looking  down 
into  the  coals.  "  Must  this  —  decision  be  made  to-night, 
Betty?"  He  spoke  gently. 

"It  is  all  with  you,  Hugh,"  she  said  coldly.  "Until 
you  have  made  it  public  that  you  turn  your  back  upon 


252  THE    NORTHERNER 

this  man,  it  would  not  be  right  for  you  to  come  here. 
Father  —  " 

Watson  stood  stfill  in  tense  deliberation,  his  blind  eyes 
on  the  grate. 

The  room  was  lighted  now  by  the  pallid  light  of  the 
new-born  day;  it  showed  Watson's  face  as  pallid  as  the 
dawn,  in  a  silent  passion  of  renunciation. 

"Listen,  dear,  I  am  going  to  accept  your  conditions. 
I  will  not  see  you  until  I  am  ready  to  cast  Falls  adrift 
—  that  was  it?  Answer,  Betty!  Yes?  But  —  listen 
again,  stop  sobbing,  dear.  For  six  months  I  have  been 
thinking  of  you  as  my  wife  —  of  myself  as  your  husband ; 
it  is  too  late  to  change  —  even  if  I  could.  And  I  cannot. 
I  accept  the  conditions  you  impose,  since  I  must,  but  I 
hold  you  mine.  No  other  man  —  "  He  raised  her  to  her 
feet,  crushing  her  against  his  breast,  kissed  her  hair,  her 
eyes,  her  lips,  which  turned  stubbornly  aside  from  his; 
bent  and  whispered  one  short  word  low  at  her  ear,  and 
left  her. 

Falls  put  aside  his  own  urgent  affairs,  postponing  his 
engagements  in  New  York  by  wire,  and  lingered  day  after 
day  at  Watson's  side.  He  had  no  comfort  to  offer  him; 
Watson  had  tacitly  refused  it  on  that  first  day,  but  Falls 
refused  to  be  rebuffed  by  his  friend's  stubborn  reserve, 
although  it  both  wounded  and  puzzled  him  —  it  was  so 
unlike  Hugh.  He  clung  to  his  side  with  dogged  tenacity. 
Days  passed  with  hardly  a  word  between  them,  and  if 
Hugh  drew  silent  comfort  from  Falls's  strong,  warm  pres 
ence  always  at  his  side,  he  gave  no  sign. 

At  his  offices,  where  he  plunged  with  stern  resolution 
into  his  work,  Falls  lounged  at  his  side,  smoking  and  read- 


HE  OR  I  — CHOOSE!  253 

ing.  He  moved  into  two  of  Hugh's  suite  of  rooms,  changed 
his  late,  irregular  hours  to  suit  Hugh's  more  regular  life; 
made  Watson  buy  a  horse,  and  took  him  for  long  rides 
about  the  country-side;  joined  "Watson  in  a  week's  hunt 
ing  in  the  Pine  Barrens,  where  they  camped  in  a  lonely 
log-cabin,  with  the  sound  of  the  airy  breakers  of  the  pines 
beating  forever  upon  the  shores  of  silence  in  their  ears, 
and  hunted  all  day  in  the  glorious,  keen  air,  with  the 
frozen  stubble  under  their  feet  and  the  sunshine  like 
wine  in  their  veins.  Watson  was  a  keen  sportsman;  and 
the  homely  life,  the  breaking  fatigue  of  tramping  all  day 
over  the  stubble,  won  him  by  imperceptible  degrees  back 
to  himself. 

"  This  is  quite  respectable  weather  —  for  an  Alabama 
winter,"  he  said  smiling,  as  he  kicked  the  ice  upon  a 
small  pond  and  found  that  it  would  hold.  "  Here  's  some 
ice,  Hugh  —  not  in  a  mint  julep  —  real  ice !  " 

Little  by  little,  in  the  eternal  silences  of  the  pines,  Falls 
slipped  off  the  reserve  he  wore,  like  a  suit  of  chain  mail 
under  his  ordinary  manner,  and  told  Watson  of  his  early 
life ;  of  the  years  he  had  spent  in  Central  America  — 
the  money  he  had  made  there;  of  his  strenuous  life  since 
he  had  been  connected  with  the  English  syndicate;  of  t'le 
enterprises  he  had  set  afloat  for  them  in  the  ends  of  the 
world.  It  was  a  terse,  picturesque  sketch  of  a  life  full 
of  color,  movement,  of  strong,  virile  ambitions,  of  big 
achievements;  a  clean,  sane  record,  temperate  and  calm; 
untouched  by  passion,  though  full  of  a  strong  man's  keen 
enjoyment  of  the  pleasures  of  the  world  —  the  joy  of 
living. 

They  were  lounging,  tired  with  the  day's  work,  before  a 
great  pile  of  logs  in  the  cabin  chinfhey,  while  Falls  told, 


254  THE   NORTHERNER 

with  thoughtful  eyes  upon  the  glow,  of  some  incident  con 
nected  with  those  earlier  days. 

"  It 's  odd,  Falls,"  said  Watson,  "  how  little  women  enter 
into  all  this  part  of  your  life.  Most  men  living  as  you  have 
lived  —  Your  type  of  man,  too !  How  does  it  happen  —  " 

"  I  never  seemed  to  care  for  those  irregular  entangle 
ments  that  men  drift  into/'  Falls  said  carelessly.  He 
rose,  walking  restlessly  about  the  cabin,  came  to  the  hearth 
and  stood  kicking  the  logs  about,  staring  into  the  glowing 
heart  of  the  hickory  with  somber  eyes. 

"What  is  it,  Falls?"  asked  Watson,  without  stirring. 
"  Don't  get  stampeded  like  that.  Say  it,  man  —  " 

Falls  stared  down  into  the  heart  of  the  hickory  logs. 

"  I  've  found  Rosebud,  Hugh,"  he  said  at  last,  quietly, 
and,  as  the  other  started  up,  a  worried  frown  upon  his 
brow,  Falls  crossed  the  space  between  them,  and,  drawing 
his  chair  beside  Hugh's,  spoke  on  with  strong  cheerfulness. 
"  The  evening  before  we  came  out  here  I  rode  out  to 
Hillcrest  to  say  good-by.  Miss  Adair  had  ridden  out 
to  the  mountain  house,  and  I  rode  on,  hoping  to  overtake 
her;  but  —  I  managed  to  lose  myself  in  some  way,  and 
after  a  bit  of  rough  riding  I  stumbled  upon  that  lonely 
cabin  off  the  road,  to  the  right,  I  think?" 

"Yes;   I  know  it  —  " 

"Well,  she  was  there —  Watson,  I  've  a  plan  I  want 
you  to  listen  to.  Will  you  ?  Let  me  —  " 

He  went  on  speaking,  earnestly,  convincingly,  and 
though  Watson  had  listened  reluctantly  at  first,  by  degrees 
his  knitted  brow  lost  its  harassed  frown;  he  ceased  to 
interpose  objections,  nodded  acquiescence,  and  when  Falls 
rose  at  last  they  separated  for  the  night  with  a  close 
hand-clasp,  a  word  of  thanks  from  Hugh. 


XX 

UNCLE   CAD'S   WIFE 

ON  the  morning  of  the  tenth  of  January,  the  date  set 
for  the  sale  of  the  old  Adairville  Gas  Works,  under 
the  order  of  the  court,  Watson  sat  in  his  private  office 
with  his  stenographer  at  his  elbow,  immersed  in  work. 
The  door  to  the  outer  office  opened  gently;  a  clerk  put 
in  his  head : 

"  Eleven-thirty,  Mr.  Watson." 

"  All  right,  Anderson,"  said  Hugh  abstractedly.  "  You 
have  Western  Union  time?" 

"Oh,  yes,  sir!" 

"  Hawkins,"  to  the  stenographer,  "  step  to  the  window 
in  the  hall  and  get  the  town  time." 

"  Twenty-nine  to  twelve,"  the  report  came  back. 
"  They  're  together  to-day,  —  have  been  all  day,"  the  man 
supplemented. 

Watson  plunged  back  into  his  dictation  for  twenty  min 
utes  longer  without  break  or  hitch.  He  rose  then,  and, 
taking  his  hat,  passed  into  the  street  on  his  way  to  the 
court-house,  where  the  sale  had  been  called  for  twelve 
o'clock,  noon. 

It  was  but  a  step  from  Hugh's  office  to  the  court-house ; 
he  had  but  to  cross  the  street  and  traverse  the  tiny  park 
surrounding  the  building,  and  he  walked  leisurely  in  that 
direction. 

255 


256  THE    NORTHERNER 

The  proverbial  January  thaw  had  succeeded  the  clear 
cold  of  the  preceding  weeks,  and  a  sky  of  deceitful  fair 
ness  fawned  overhead.  Watson  walked  slowly,  absorbed  in 
a  double  train  of  thought  which  had  possessed  him  all 
day,  —  the  same  perplexing  tangle,  so  familiar,  so  inex 
tricable!  Falls  and  his  affairs  —  the  sale  of  this  old 
gas  company  which  he  was  on  his  way  to  bid  in  for  Falls, 
and  thereby  break  the  back  of  the  new  company  organized 
to  fight  him  for  the  contracts  —  were  uppermost ;  under 
neath,  and  held  resolutely  in  check,  was  a  flood  of  half- 
sad,  wholly  bitter  reflections.  To-day  was  to  have  been 
his  wedding-day !  He  turned  his  head  as  he  came  in  line 
with  the  street,  half-way  down  which  stood  the  house  he 
had  fitted  up  for  Betty;  it  stood  closed  and  empty  amid 
its  green  lawns. 

Hugh  crushed  back  a  quick  sigh  as  he  stepped  upon  the 
path  leading  through  the  Court-house  Square;  as  he  did 
so,  the,  nrst  calm  stroke  of  twelve  was  announced  by  the 
clock  overhead  in  the  tower  with  silvery  distinctness. 

Watson  snatched  his  watch  from  his  pocket,  consulting 
it  with  startled  eyes,  and  with  amazement  too  deep  for 
exclamation.  The  walk  from  his  office  could  not  have 
consumed  more  than  five  minutes.  When  he  came  to 
himself  he  was  mechanically  counting  the  strokes  as  he 
strode,  regardless  of  admonitory  signs,  straight  across  the 
green  to  the  steps. 

"  Ten,  eleven,  —  twelve !  "  fell  with  calm  impressiveness 
upon  his  ear.  Watson  was  no  longer  startled ;  a  burning  in 
dignation  had  supplanted  every  other  feeling  in  his  breast. 

With  his  watch  still  in  his  hand,  taking  the  stairs  at 
two  bounds,  he  reached  the  upper  landing  just  as  a  party 
of  half  a  dozen  gentlemen  reached  it  from  the  flight  above. 


UNCLE    CAD'S   WIFE  257 

There  was  laughter,  congratulations,  a  note  of  scarce  re 
strained  triumph  in  the  voices  which  fell  upon  his  ear. 

Hallett  and  General  Evert  met  him  a  second  later. 

"  That  you,  Hugh  ? "  asked  General  Evert,  and  Hugh 
calmly  opined  that  it  was.  "  You  're  just  too  late  fur  the 
sale.  Thought  we  'd  have  to  bid  erginst  Falls  and  his 
English  millions.  Heard  he  'd  left  you  particular  orders 
to  'double  up  any  little  local  concerns5  — " 

"  The  doubling  up  will  be  in  order  later,  General !  Ah, 
Tony  —  step  this  way  a  minute.  Good  morning,  gentle 
men." 

He  drew  Judge  Cruikshanks  aside. 

"Were  you  present  when  this  sale  was  made,  Tony?" 

"  No,"  said  Cruikshanks  carelessly.  "  I  'm  merely  pass 
ing  through  the  building  to  my  office.  What 's  wrong  with 
the  sale?" 

"  I  did  not  say  anything  was  wrong.  My  watch  was 
a  little  behind  —  or  the  clock  a  little  ahead."  He  looked 
piercingly  at  him.  "  The  sale  was  published  for  twelve 
o'clock,  noon.  Eleven  fifty-five  is  not  counted  noon  in 
the  Tenth  Judicial  Circuit,  is  it?" 

"  The  Tenth  Circuit  is  n't  run  by  your  watch,  Watson," 
said  Tony,  with  judicial  aspect. 

"  No  ?  "  said  Watson  coolly.  "  That 's  a  good  deal  of  a 
pity,  too.  It  might  be  a  trifle  more  honestly  administered 
if  it  were." 

The  two  men  looked  each  other  keenly  in  the  eyes  for 
a  second;  Hugh's  gaze  significant,  Cruikshanks's  blandly 
impervious  to  any  meaning  which  the  other  sought  to  drive 
into  that  shrewd  mind  behind  the  gold-rimmed  glasses. 

"  Got  the  new  circuit  licked  into  shape  yet,  Tony  ? " 
asked  Hugh,  as  he  turned  to  leave  the  building. 


258  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  About,"  the  other  answered,  with  a  sudden  tightening 
of  his  loosely  hung,  sensitive  lips,  the  lips  of  a  sybarite. 

"  That  talk  about  the  unconstitutionality  of  the  Moody 
bill  fizzled  out,  did  n't  it?" 

"  I  can't  say,"  said  Tony,  calmly  non-committal.  "  You 
are  better  qualified  to  give  an  opinion  upon  that  than  any 
man  I  know.  What  do  you  think  —  " 

"I  have  n't  had  time  to  look  into  it  —  yet.  Pleasant 
weather  —  after  the  freeze." 

Hugh's  eyes  were  gleaming  with  laughter  as  he  took 
his  disconcerted  way  back  to  his  office. 

"  D them !  "  he  cried  heartily.  "  D this  whole 

rotten  Tenth  Circuit !  '  Can't  say,'  indeed !  He  's  holding 
his  breath  for  fear  some  one  will  put  up  a  test  case.  Well, 
my  blooming  judge,  you  are  going  to  say  shortly." 

He  sent  Falls  a  note  in  his  own  beautiful,  formal  writ 
ing,  so  oddly  uncharacteristic  of  the  man  and  of  the  text 
of  the  note  itself. 

"  Falls,"  he  began  with  curt  informality,  "  I  '11  pay  for  your 
ticket  here  and  back  if  you  will  come  down  to  Alabama  and 
kick  me  from  the  river  to  the  Gulf  and  back  again.  I  Ve  lost 
you  the  gas  works.  I  let  Hallett  and  Tony  Cruikshanks  beat  me, 
I  '11  be  hanged  if  I  did  n't !  For  the  moment  they  are  on  top ; 
but  it  is  only  for  the  moment,  dear  fellow  1  Don't  worry  —  and 
don't  cuss.  Say  that  terrible  oath  of  yours,  that  New  England 
one  —  'Jiminy' —  and  let  it  go  at  that.  The  thing  was  done 
by  a  dirty  —  an  unspeakably  dirty  —  piece  of  fraud,  perfectly 
simple  and  perfectly  effective  —  for  the  moment.  Come  on 
home  —  for  Alabama  is  your  home  — you  have  only  your  clothes 
and  your  brains  in  New  York ;  your  heart 's  in  Dixie.  And  a 
man's  home  is  where  his  heart  is,  and  latitude  and  longitude  and 
mother  tongue  may  go  to  the  devil  1 

"  WATSON." 


UNCLE    CAD'S   WIFE  259 

January  slipped  away,  and  when  at  last  from  the  win 
dow  of  the  car  Falls's  eyes  fell  upon  the  long,  purple  wall 
of  the  Cumberlands  again,  Spring  stood  a-tiptoe  there 
and  blew  kisses  from  her  warm  mouth,  sweet  with 
the  odor  of  growing  things,  adown  the  valley  of  the 
Tennessee. 

Falls  leaned  out  of  the  window,  and  the  buoyant  air 
beat  in  his  face,  vital  with  the  smell  of  the  fresh-turned 
soil  in  the  fields.  How  familiar  had  grown  that  long  line 
of  mountains  against  the  sky!  Behind  that  purple  wall 
lay  Dixie  —  and  Joan ! 

A  thousand  heretofore  unconsidered  sights  and  sounds 
welcomed  him.  A  deep  thrill  stirred  within  him.  This 
long,  green  valley  paved  with  the  silver  river  —  those 
misty,  dim  blue  mountain  walls  —  this  wooing  air  —  this 
was  Dixie,  and  Dixie  was  home! 

Watson  was  at  the  station,  and  even  in  that  first  hand 
clasp  Falls  saw  that  he  was  thinner,  his  dark  cheek 
blanched  as  from  overwork  or  confinement. 

"  The  screw  is  on  somewhere  too  tight,"  he  thought. 
"  Is  it  work  or  Miss  Archer  ?  "  A  shadow  drifted  across 
his  own  sunny  mood  as  he  remembered. 

"Your  rooms  are  all  ready,"  said  Hugh  as  they 
alighted  at  the  door.  "  Lacey  almost  had  nervous  pros 
tration  getting  them  ready." 

Watson  sat  down  upon  the  table  uneasily.  "  I  've  been 
studying  how  to  break  it  gently  to  you,  Greg."  Falls 
turned  swiftly  to  him.  "  The  fact  is,  I  've  got  to  leave 
you  alone  to-night.  I  'm  stopping  at  the  mountain  house 
with  Joan  and  Uncle  John;  and  Uncle  John  is  away 
to-night;  Joan  is  alone  —  " 

"  Darn  you !  "  said  Falls  caressingly.     "  I  thought  —  ** 


26o  THE    NORTHERNER 

"I  know  what  you  thought.  I  am  going  on  to  that 
now.  I  '11  give  you  the  facts  in  short  order/' 

"Just  so  I  know  how  we  stand  — " 

"We  stand  pat!  Cruikshanks  confirmed  the  receiver's 
report  of  that  rotten  sale ;  he  would,  of  course ;  he  had  to. 
But  he  trembled  in  his  socks  while  he  did  it.  It  '11  cost 
him  his  newly  found  dignity  of  judge.  Why,  Falls,  the 
thing  smelled  to  heaven !  I  excepted  to  Tony's  confirma 
tion  of  the  sale,  of  course,  through  Littlesmith  —  he  was 
the  heaviest  creditor  —  yes,  you  know  him.  It  took  me 
some  time  to  get  it  through  him  —  he  could  not  see  where 
Tony  had  jurisdiction.  The  court  sits  conjointly  as  a 
chancery  court;  it  was  all  regular,  that  part.  I  appealed 
it  on  two  clauses,  fraudulent  sale  and  the  unconstitution 
ally  of  the  Moody  bill  creating  this  new  circuit.  In  real 
ity  no  such  thing  as  a  Tenth  Judicial  Circuit  exists  in 
Alabama.  Tony  and  his  court  are  the  stun*  that  dreams 
are  made  of." 

Hugh  laughed  with  keen  enjoyment.  "  There  '11  be 
darkness  upon  the  face  of  the  waters,  and  men's  hearts 
failing  them  for  fear,  before  they  're  done  with  all  this ! " 

"And  the  end?"  asked  Falls,  rather  lost. 

te  We  '11  be  exactly  where  we  were  before  Hallett  and 
the  General  got  their  deal  through;  and  they  Jll  be  out 
what  they  paid  Tony.  The  Tenth  Judicial  Circuit  will 
be  non  est  —  'a  portion  and  a  parcel  of  the  dreadful 
past!'" 

"  Most  extraordinary  state  of  tilings !  "  murmured  Falls. 

"A-w,  naw,"  said  Hugh  calmly,  "not  at  all.  Logical 
result  of  given  causes.  The  Legislature  is  full  of  young 
asses  from  the  Pine  Barrens  and  the  hill  counties  —  what 
d'  you  expect  ?  The  journals  of  the  House  and  the  Senate 


UNCLE    CAD'S    WIFE  261 

show  that  the  Moody  bill  passed  the  House  ripping,  and 
went  on  to  the  Senate;  the  Senate  committee  reported 
back  with  a  substitute  for  the  bill,  and  the  Senate  adopted 
the  substitute  —  with  two  amendments  tacked  to  the  sub 
stitute  —  and  sent  it  back.  Then  the  young  asses  bucked ! 
The  thing  went  to  a  conference  committee,  which  decided 
that  the  Senate  should  recede  from  the  amendments.  This 
report  was  adopted  by  the  House,  and  it  was  all  serene. 
But  —  and  here  's  the  tangle  —  by  some  incredible  piece 
of  stupidity  the  House  failed  to  pass  the  substitute  as 
passed  by  the  Senate.  Tableau!  The  bottom  drops  out 
of  the  Tenth  Judicial  Circuit;  Tony  takes  a  seat  'way 
back  in  the  bottomless  circuit ! " 

"  Leave  Tony  alone !  "  said  Falls  with  a  laugh.  "  Where 
do  we  come  in?  What  's  my  cue?" 

"  The  sale  of  the  insolvent  gas  company  will  be  set 
aside  —  if  the  Supreme  Court  quashes  this  Moody  bill, 
and  it  will  —  and  you  can  double  up  the  Cumberland  Gas 
Company's  bids  at  your  leisure.  This  time"  —  he  was 
smiling  back  at  Falls  from  the  door  —  "  this  time  I  pro 
pose  to  bivouac  upon  the  court-house  steps  for  a  few  days 
previous  to  the  new  sale,  so  as  to  be  in  on  time.  Good 
night.  Any  message  for  Joan?" 

"  Get  out !  "  Falls  admonished  him  gently.  "  I  '11  do 
my  own  talking !  " 

Watson,  at  the  mountain  house,  spent  a  lonely  evening 
as  it  turned  out.  Milly  Ann  met  him  on  his  arrival, 
handed  him  a  tiny  note  from  Joan,  pleading  headache 
—  could  he  dine  alone?  .  .  .  Too  bad  not  to  see  him. 
.  .  .  Would  be  down  later.  .  .  . 

"  Tell  her  not  to  bother  about  me,  Milly  Ann.  Yes,  I  '11 
dine  now.  Who  was  in  that  carriage  I  met  going  down  ?  " 


262  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Miss  Jone's  Uncle  Cad's  wife  —  " 

"  Mrs.  Allen  ?  "  He  pondered.  "  And  Joan  in  tears. 
Of  course  she  's  crying !  "  He  groaned  in  half -humorous, 
half-angry  protest. 

That  afternoon  Joan  had  flown  lightly  down  to  meet 
Mrs.  Allen's  carriage  when  it  drew  up  at  the  gallery  steps, 
joyously  greeting  the  older  woman. 

"  The  very  id-e-a  of  your  coming  all  the  way  out  here 
to  see  me !  How  p-e-rfectly  delightful !  " 

"  Yes,"  agreed  the  other,  sighing  and  panting,  her  deep, 
indistinct  guttural  seeming  to  proceed  from  the  nether 
most  fold  of  her  series  of  chins ;  "  yes,  child ;  I  had  to 
come  to  see  what  you  are  doing  'way  out  here  alone.  It  's 
not  proper,  Joan,  for  a  girl  like  you  —  " 

"  Oh,  Aunt  M'Liza ! "  cried  Joan,  pathetically  gay, 
"don't,  pl-e-a-se  don't  chaperone  me  out  here!  There 
is  n't  a  single  thing  in  the  w-i-de  world  out  here  in  the 
woods  but  jay-birds  —  and  ground  squirrels." 

"  What  do  you  do  when  young  men  come  to  call  ?  " 

"  They  don't  come ;  and  father  is  here,  and  Hugh.  .  .  . 
Poor  Hughie ! " 

"  Yes,  you  mean  about  Betty  ?  It  's  probably  a  blessing 
in  disguise.  I  never  could  see  what  Hugh  found  in  Betty. 
And  now  she  's  rejected  him  —  " 

"  She  has  not  rejected  him ! "    cried  Joan  hotly. 

"  —  because  of  his  stubborn  refusal  to  give  up  this  man, 
Falls.  Your  Uncle  Cad  said  to  me  last  night,  '  'Liza,'  said 
he,  '  I  've  never  known  anything  like  Watson's  defiant  at 
titude  about  this  man  Falls.'"  She  dropped  her  subject, 
giving  the  odd  effect  of  letting  it  slip  away  from  her,  grop 
ing  for  it,  as  it  were,  and  grasping  it  again  in  another  place- 

"  Your  Uncle  Cad  saw  this  man  Falls  in  New  York  — " 


UNCLE    CAD'S    WIFE  263 

"Yes?"  said  Joan,  with  a  rising  inflection.  "Did  n't 
you  say  you  wanted  one  of  Phyllis's  kittens,  Auntie? 
There  are  four.  The  most  ec-stat-ic  creatures!  with  sap 
phire  eyes,  and  rose-leaf  ears,  and  tails  too  pointed  for 
anything  —  " 

"  Don't  talk  to  me  about  kittens,  Joan !  Your  Uncle 
Cad  sent  me  out  here  —  "  She  paused,  her  heavy,  kindly 
face  perplexed.  Her  subject  had  eluded  her  again;  she 
dived  for  it,  coming  to  the  surface  a  little  out  of  breath. 

"  Did  John  ever  tell  you  that  I  was  your  mother's  best 
friend?" 

"Yes,"  said  Joan  softly,  "yes,  he  has,  Auntie  —  lots 
of  times !  " 

Joan  was  softly  stroking  her  hand  between  her  own. 

That  slippery  subject  which  she  could  not  hold  was 
gone  again.  Presently  she  came  up  in  a  new  place. 
"  You  're  nearly  twenty,  are  you  not,  Jo  ?  " 

"  I  '11  be  twenty  in  August,  Auntie." 

"  You  are  old  enough  to  know  that  there  is  sin  in  the 
world  —  and  coarseness ;  that  there  is  vile  wickedness,  and 
that  men  are  not  always  just  what  they  —  er  —  " 

A  flood  of  scarlet  poured  over  the  girl's  face. 

"  Father,"  she  murmured  piteously,  "  Father  does  not 
want  me  to  know  —  to  hear  such  things !  " 

The  older  woman  took  her  hands  firmly  within  her  own, 
baring  the  tender  face,  the  agonized  eyes,  to  her  loving, 
searching  gaze. 

"  Men  never  want  us  to  know,  dear,"  she  said ;  "  but 
for  all  that  we  have  to  know.  Your  Uncle  Cad  saw  this 
Mr.  Falls  in  New  York.  He  was  in  a  carriage  with  Eose- 
bud.  She  was  tricked  out  to  kill.  He  took  her  away  from 
here  with  him." 


264  THE    NORTHERNER 

As  though  a  shot  had  pierced  her  heart,  the  girl  sprang 
upward,  wrenching  her  soft  hands  from  the  other's  grasp, 
facing  her,  standing  erect,  with  limbs  which  trembled  al 
most  too  much  to  keep  the  slender  figure  at  its  proud 
poise;  a  tense  line  deepened  between  her  brows,  under 
which  her  eyes  shone  coldly  gray,  devoid  of  the  tender 
color  they  wore  at  other  times.  Mrs.  Allen  started. 

"  I  am  too  late  —  too  late !  "  she  murmured.  "  She  loves 
him  —  this  man !  " 

"  Why  do  you  tell  this  —  this  —  horror  to  me  ?  "  said  the 
girl  at  last,  her  level  tones  quivering  under  the  strain  she 
put  upon  herself.  "  Tell  Uncle  Cad  to  take  his  confidences 
to  those  who  need  them!  .  .  .  No!  no!  not  if  my  own 
mother  rose  from  her  grave  and  stood  before  me  would 
I  listen !  What  more  can  there  be  ?  " 

She  half-turned  away  from  the  woman  standing  with 
agitated  face  beside  her.  "Your  work  is  done,  Auntie; 
you  might  as  well  go."  She  paused,  as  though  she  was 
not  just  certain  of  what  she  had  said. 

"  I  am  a  little  busy  to-day."  She  passed  bravely  to  the 
door,  opened  it  with  unsteady  fingers,  and  passed  quietly 
to  her  own  room,  closing  the  door  against  the  world. 

Below,  in  the  town,  Falls  was  dropping  to  sleep,  tired 
from  his  journey,  a  thought  like  a  full-blown  rose  linger 
ing  at  the  half-closed  door  of  his  consciousness: 

"  To-morrow  1    I  '11  see  her  to-morrow !  " 


XXI 

THE  MOOD  OF   WOMAN  —  WKO   CAN  TELL? 

"mO-MORROW,"  Falls  had  promised  himself,  and  the 

JL  next  afternoon  saw  him  in  the  saddle  on  the  long 
ride  out  to  the  mountain  house.  From  the  brow  of  the 
hills  behind  Hillcrest  the  crumpled  ranges  lay  before  him, 
fold  on  fold,  veiled  in  a  curtain  of  rainy  mist  which  was 
lifted  here  and  there  upon  a  lance  of  sunlight,  so  that  its 
lacy  edges  just  brushed  the  hilltops;  though  elsewhere 
it  trailed  heavily,  sinking  into  the  sinuses  among  the 
crumpled  folds,  where  it  lay  like  still  lakes  of  burnished 
water. 

"  Seven  weeks ! "  Falls  tightened  Joe's  rein,  and  his 
horse  sped  on.  He  had  not  seen  Joan  since  the  night  of 
the  Dixie  Club  ball,  and  he  had  carried  with  him  through 
those  busy  weeks  in  New  York  the  memory  of  her  face 
as  he  had  seen  it  in  the  last  turns  of  the  waltz. 

Milly  Ann  met  him  at  the  gallery  steps,  sedately  spec 
ulative.  "  Miss  Jone  ain't  here ;  she  dun  gorned  er  way/' 
she  vouchsafed  Falls,  her  face  as  void  of  expression  as 
that  of  a  black  india-rubber  doll ;  her  voice  seeming  to  be 
released  by  means  of  a  string  pulled  somewhere  in  her 
economy,  ceased  abruptly  when  the  cord  flew  back.  She 
offered  no  enlightenment  as  to  the  vague  location  implied 
in  "  dun  gorned  er  way." 

Falls  interpreted  it  to  mean  that  Joan  was  in  town 

265 


266  THE    NORTHERNER 

shopping  or  visiting,  and  was  getting  out  his  card-case 
with  blank  disappointment,  when  a  voice  which  he  seemed 
dimly  to  remember  hailed  him  from  the  back  of  the  house, 
and  Lethe's  substantial  presence,  with  "Ad-lade"  upon 
her  ample  arm,  bore  down  upon  him  in  beaming  welcome. 

"  Howdy,  His'r  Falls !  Is  yu'  dun  f  urgit  Lethe  —  an' 
Ad-lade?"  She  set  the  unsteady  little  creature  down 
upon  the  gallery  floor.  "  G'  long,  nigger,  and  see  Mis'r 
Falls!  He  de  Yankee  gemmem  what  rode  yer." 

Unmindful '  of  Hilly  Ann's  horrified  eyes  sternly  re 
garding  Lethe's  "  f  or'ardness,"  she  pushed  the  little  thing 
toward  Falls,  who  touched  her  gently  with  his  riding-crop, 
and,  stooping,  opened  her  tiny  brown  fist  and  put  a  coin 
into  the  little  puckered  palm,  which  instantly  closed  upon 
it.  Ad-lade's  lips  slowly  widened,  showing  two  rows  of 
pearls  and  a  tiny  red  tongue.  Two  great  dimples,  rising 
like  bubbles  upon  the  surface  of  a  pond,  appeared  in  her 
soft  brown  cheeks. 

Lethe  gave  Milly  Ann  a  defiant  glance,  openly  flouting 
that  demure  damsel,  blandly  assuming  herself  the  role 
of  hostess. 

"  Is  yu'  dun  corned  to  see  Hiss  Jone  ?  Case  if  yu' 
is  —  " 

"I  know,"  said  Falls.  "Hilly  Ann  has  just  told  me 
she  is  out."  He  handed  to  Hilly  Ann  three  cards  as  he 
spoke. 

"  Dey  ain't  no  use  in  yu'  leavin'  no  'scriptions,  les'n 
yu'  jist  er  doin'  hit  fur  style,"  said  Lethe  with  kind  offi- 
ciousness.  "  Hiss  Jone  ain't  nowhere  but  down  the  cliff 
paf.  She  's  jist  er  setting  dere  er  readin'  in  her  book." 
With  a  last  triumphant  glance  at  the  discomfited  Hilly 
Ann. 


THE    MOOD    OF    WOMAN        267 

"  Yu'  Lethe ! "  whispered  Milly  Ann  in  a  loud  aside, 
"w*at  yu'  dun  tole  'im  de  way  down  dere  fur?  Miss 
Jone  Js  hidin'  fum  him !  " 

But  Falls  was  already  out  of  hearing.  He  struck  into 
the  path  which  wound  along  the  cliff  wall,  and  in  twenty 
steps  the  house  was  lost  to  view,  the  stillness  of  the  moun 
tain  solitudes  about  him.  On  one  side  lay  the  narrow, 
green  cleft  of  Lost  Cove  three  hundred  feet  below  him, 
on  the  other  a  tangle  of  vines  lashing  together  the  under 
growth  of  sumach  and  oak  scrub,  which  hid  Joan  from 
him  where  she  sat  in  a  niche  of  the  rocks.  She  wore  a 
long  box  coat  and  a  boyish  red  cap,  from  which  her  bright 
hair  strayed  about  her  face.  An  open  book  lay  upon  her 
lap,  unheeded,  while  she  read  instead  with  dreaming  eyes 
the  pallid  curtain  of  the  mist  drawn  across  the  nearest 
ranges  seeming  to  mark  with  a  solid  wall  the  end  of  the 
earth.  A  stone  slipped  under  Falls's  foot,  and  bounded 
off  with  a  crash  into  the  nether  world  of  clouds  and  sway 
ing  tree-tops. 

Joan  started  up,  looking  back  along  the  path  with 
startled  eyes.  Falls  called  to  her,  striding  recklessly 
forward,  sending  a  shower  of  stones  down  into  the  still 
depths. 

"  Wait !     I  'm  coming  down  there !  " 

She  rose  and  came  a  few  steps  along  the  path  toward 
him,  carrying  a  sleeping  kitten  upon  her  arm,  followed 
by  a  yawning,  shivering,  sleek-coated  fox-terrier,  who,  with 
cocked  ears  and  twitching  nostrils,  considered  Falls  with 
grave  suspicion  as  he  advanced ;  decided  that  he  was 
nearly  up  to  the  mark;  sniffed  his  leggings  with  reserve; 
looked  upward  to  his  face  archly,  and,  abandoning  the  last 
pretense  of  disapproval,  —  this  was  a  man  after  a  fox- 


268  THE    NORTHERNER 

terrier's  own  heart,  —  leaped  upon  him  with  a  shrill  bark 
of  welcome. 

"Bob- White,"  remonstrated  Joan,  "don't  be  so  —  so 
demonstrative.  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Falls?"  She  gave 
Falls  her  hand  as  she  spoke  —  or  did  she  give  it?  Only 
for  one  second  did  it  touch  his  palm;  before  his  eager 
grasp  could  close  upon  it,  before  he  knew  that  he  had 
touched  it,  it  had  slipped  away  from  him. 

"  Shall  we  go  up  ?  ...  Certainly,  I  prefer  it  here,  too. 
And  it  is  quite  mild;  this  is  the  loveliest  month  of  our 
spring." 

Joan's  eyes  as  she  talked  rose  no  higher  than  Falls's 
breast;  they  rested  level  with  the  spot  where  his  riding- 
coat  was  buttoned,  though  his  eyes,  warm  and  eager, 
sought  hers.  She  wore  about  her  the  serene  composure 
which  he  had  scarce  seen  since  he  had  met  her  first, 
Then  it  had  seemed  to  him  a  graceful  garment  draping, 
but  not  concealing,  a  sweet  frankness  beneath.  To-day 
she  wore  it  as  a  suit  of  chain  mail,  delicate  as  silk,  flexible 
as  leather,  imperviable  as  armor. 

Falls  struggled  silently  to  regain  his  poise  under  his 
strong  recoil  of  surprise  and  pain.  He  sat  beside  Joan 
on  the  bench  among  the  rocks,  stroking  mechanically, 
with  an  unconscious  hand,  the  fox-terrier's  head  as  it 
lay  upon  his  knee;  gazing  sometimes  on  that  sleek 
little  head  with  loving,  dozing  eyes,  sometimes  upon  the 
wall  of  mist.  Was  it  really  in  front  of  him  —  or  was  it 
not  a  dull,  blank  curtain  across  his  own  brain,  cutting 
off  the  past  ? 

!<  Yes,"  Falls  heard  himself  saying  at  last,  with  an  even 
ness  which  amazed  him,  —  "  yes,  New  York  is  perfectly 
beastly  in  February  and  March.  I  'm  rapidly  becoming 


THE   MOOD    OF    WOMAN        269 

a  sybarite  about  my  weather.  Dixie  has  spoiled  me.  To 
think  of  sitting  out-of-doors  in  February ! " 

But  even  as  he  called  attention  to  its  mildness,  he  was 
conscious  that  it  was  cold  here  at  the  verge  of  the  cliff, 
and  turned  with  mechanical  courtesy  to  the  woman  at 
his  side. 

"  Is  n't  it  too  cold  for  you,  Miss  Adair  ?    Let  me  —  " 

His  tone  had  only  the  coolest  of  conventional  solicitude ; 
his  careless  glance  swept  over  the  girl  with  courteous  in 
difference  as  he  rose  to  draw  about  her  the  rug  upon  which 
she  sat.  He  did  not  touch  her,  he  did  not  even  linger 
as  he  drew  the  folds  about  her,  but  Joan  sat  as  though 
turned  to  stone,  a  look  of  cold  repugnance  growing  upon 
her  face.  It  seemed  as  if  every  fiber  of  her  being,  mind 
and  soul,  shrunk  from  the  lightest  contact  with  him. 

Already  in  Falls's  soul  the  gates  of  pain  had  been  shut 
down,  locked,  and  barred ;  and  though  he  read  Joan's  atti 
tude  with  an  amazement  too  deep  for  words,  he  did  not 
betray  his  knowledge  of  it  by  the  slightest  sign.  When 
he  seated  himself  again  he  took  possession  of  a  flat  rock 
in  front  of  her. 

His  words  came  with  an  animated  readiness  that  rather 
amazed  Falls  himself,  and  strung  the  girl  to  keener  emu 
lation.  He  had  accepted  the  challenge  of  her  changed 
manner  with  a  steady  courage,  meeting  her  with  a  tact 
calmer,  more  perfect  than  her  own.  She  was  conscious 
of  a  sharp  pang  of  resentment;  a  mad  impulse  to  give 
voice  to  the  agony  which  was  bursting  at  her  own  heart. 
She  had  expected  —  she  scarce  knew  what.  Some  little, 
little  sign  at  least  that  he  felt  a  kinship  to  her  own  anguish 
—  that  much  she  might  have.  But  there  had  been  none; 
only  at  the  first  moment,  when  her  hand  had  slipped  from 


2;o  THE    NORTHERNER 

his,  had  she  been  conscious  of  the  shock  which  had  thrilled 
him;  but  now  the  stone  upon  which  he  sat  was  not  more 
unmoved  than  he,  as  he  waited  a  fitting  moment  to  take 
his  leave. 

Bob-White,  asleep  upon  the  rug  at  Joan's  side,  missed 
Falls  from  his  place;  he  stirred  uneasily,  yawned  re 
proachfully  at  him,  looked  sheepishly  at  Joan,  tenderly 
at  Falls,  licked  Joan's  hand  in  fawning  apology,  rose, 
slunk  across  to  Falls,  and  leaped  upon  his  knee. 

As  their  eyes  met  in  a  smile,  a  rush  of  color  swept  over 
Joan's  face.  It  was  the  first  time  that  her  eyes  had  met 
his  fully;  he  had  had  only  fleeting  glimpses  behind  those 
perplexing  lashes,  and  he  started,  striving  to  hold  them 
with  his  own.  Her  lips  smiled  as  she  rose,  cuddling  the 
sleeping  kitten  against  her  breast. 

"You  need  not  apologize,"  she  said  to  the  dog;  "you 
may  follow  Mr.  Falls  back  to  town  if  you  like.  Puckie 
and  I  will  go  in  to  the  fire  and  go  to  sleep  upon  the  rug, 
and  Puckie  will  have  chicken  bones  for  supper ;  and  you  " 
—  she  stroked  the  sleek,  small  head  making  eager,  depre 
catory  motions  toward  her,  even  while  the  little  wriggling 
body  pressed  itself  closer  and  closer  to  Falls's  breast  — 
"you  will  have  the  ashes  out  of  Mr.  Falls's  pipe." 

"  Don't  asperse  my  character,"  said  Falls  with  a  smile, 
as  he  rose  to  gather  up  the  rugs  and  books  scattered 
about,  holding  the  little  dog  in  his  arm,  "  and  don't 
grudge  me  my  place  in  Bob's  heart  —  if  I  have  one 
there." 

"  I  do  not  grudge  you  it,"  she  told  him  with  her 
gentle  aloofness,  which  was  not  coldness,  but  the  stu 
dious  kindliness  which  courtesy  accords  in  the  case  of 
unconsidered  acquaintances.  "And  to  show  you  that  I 


do  not,  I  will  give  Bobby  to  you,  if  you  like,  for  your 
own." 

"  Really  ? "  cried  Falls,  his  face  alight  with  pleasure. 
"  You  are  willing  for  me  to  have  him  ?  " 

"If  Bobby  wants  to  go;    if  he  likes  you  best/"' 

Falls  looked  down  at  the  little  dog  dozing  against  his 
bosom. 

"  We  had  better  be  sure  he  knows  his  own  mind ;  I  '11 
set  him  down  and  let  him  choose  between  us." 

Bob-White,  suddenly  roused  from  his  warm  dream  of 
chicken  bones  and  chops,  stood  in  the  path  shivering 
piteously,  looking  from  one  to  the  other  of  these  arbiters 
of  his  fate,  with  wrinkled  brows  and  alert  ears. 

"Bobby,  honey,"  said  Joan,  regarding  the  unhappy 
Bob-White  torn  with  the  pangs  of  indecision.  His  loyal 
dog's  heart  was  with  Joan  —  every  higher  ideal  of  his 
little  soul,  every  conception  of  his  mind  set  upon  this  man 
—  this  glorious  creature  in  leggings,  with  a  horse  and  a 
strong,  firm,  warm  hand  to  stroke  one;  and  at  whose 
manly  heels  one  could  trot,  the  envied  of  all  other  fox- 
terriers. 

"  Bobby,  honey,  the  issue  of  your  life  is  before  you, 
'  Look  on  this  picture  and  on  this ' !  " 

"  Now  don't,"  said  Falls,  "  don't  bias  his  little  mind 
like  that.  If  this  thing  is  to  turn  upon  a  point  of  looks, 
why,  I  '11  withdraw  from  the  contest." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  he  's  basing  his  decision  upon, 
if  not  looks  ?  If  I  thought  he  was  such  a  mercenary  little 
wretch  as  to  be  weighing  his  chances  of  chops  — ' 

"  They  know,"  said  Falls  slowly.  "  God  gave  dogs  and 
women  an  added  sense  which  tells  them  whom  to  trust. 
Dogs"  —  he  paused  a  mome.nt  —  "dogs  are  wise  enough 


272  THE    NORTHERNER 

to  obey  it,  and  so  find  their  happiness  where  God  meant 
them  to  find  it  — "  The  sentence  lapsed;  he  made  no 
effort  to  take  it  up. 

Bobby  still  stood  in  the  path,  forgotten  by  the  arbiters 
of  his  fate,  whose  eyes  had  met  at  last  in  the  glance  which 
Falls  had  hungered  for.  He  had  it  now.  Eeproach?  — 
could  it  be  reproach?  But  a  happy  thought  had  come  to 
Bobby.  Stupid  not  to  have  thought  of  it  before!  Com 
promise  —  have  his  cake  and  eat  it,  too !  He  ran  to  Falls 
and,  grasping  a  strap  of  his  legging,  sought  to  draw  him 
to  Joan;  then  to  Joan  in  mad  haste,  and  tugged  at  her 
long  coat,  with  backward,  imploring  gaze  on  Falls.  And 
back  again  to  him. 

"  No !  no !  Bob,"  said  Falls,  bending  to  stroke  him, 
"  this  is  not  a  compromise  measure.  I  —  I  could  not 
palter  with  love !  "  He  spoke  so  low  that  the  girl  could 
scarce  hear  him.  "  It  must  be  '  all  in  all  or  not  at  all ' !  " 

He  looked  up  after  a  moment,  smiling.  "  This  must 
be  an  assisted  fate.  Bob  can't  make  up  his  mind.  I  have 
one  advantage  over  you,  Miss  Adair." 

"What  is  that,  pray?" 

"  I  can  whistle." 

"Why,  so  can  I,"  indignantly. 

"All  right,"  coolly,  "you  may  have  the  first  go.  Call 
him  —  whistle  to  him." 

Joan  drew  her  lovely  mouth  together  in  the  shape  of 
a  kiss,  looked  a  little  blank,  tried  again,  blushed,  laughed. 

"Why  —  er!" 

"  You  've  had  your  go."  Falls  gave  a  low  whistle,  and 
Bobby  bounded  to  him,  leaped  upon  him,  clawing  his  way 
upward  to  his  arms,  and  covered  Falls's  cheek  with  an 
ecstasy  of  kisses  from  a  warm,  red  tongue. 


THE    MOOD    OF   WOMAN        273 

"After  that  demonstration,  I  make  you  a  title,"  mur 
mured  Joan. 

Falls  went  inside  with  Joan  to  unburden  himself  of 
the  rug  and  books  he  carried.  The  storm  which  had  been 
brooding  all  day  in  the  mountains  had  come  rapidly  at 
last,  and  the  first  heavy  drops  were  falling  upon  the  gal 
lery  floor  as  they  crossed  it. 

"  You  must  wait,  Mr.  Falls/'  said  Joan  courteously ; 
"  storms  in  the  mountain  this  time  of  year  are  so  dan 
gerous."  The  dusk  hid  her  eyes  from  him,  but  in  her 
voice  was  the  same  gentle,  cool  abstraction,  as  colorless  as 
the  mist  rolling  in  upon  them.  Falls  set  his  teeth  in 
a  momentary  sharp  wrestle  with  himself. 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said,  his  tone  as  even  as  her  own,  "  I 
have  a  business  engagement  at  seven;  I  must  get  down." 

At  the  same  moment  Judge  Adair  came  forward  from 
the  hall  to  greet  them;  kissed  his  daughter,  gave  his 
hand  to  Falls. 

"  You  will  stop  for  the  night,  Mr.  Falls,"  he  said  with 
courteous  decision.  "  These  spring  storms  in  the  hills  are 
not  to  be  tampered  with  —  timber,  you  know  —  I  insist. 
We  could  not  have  you  leave  us  in  this  storm.  Joan  —  " 
The  storm,  which  had  come  on  apace,  had  darkened  the 
hall  so  rapidly  that  Judge  Adair  had  not  seen  her  slip 
away;  but  Falls  had  marked  it;  it  gave  more  firmness 
to  his  demurrer. 

"  Listen !  "  said  the  old  man,  and  held  up  his  hand 
with  a  smile.  The  wild  rush  of  the  rain  outside,  like  white 
horses  trampling  the  lawn,  the  booming  of  the  distant 
cannonade  of  the  wind  in  the  heavy  timber,  the  sullen  roll 
of  thunder  behind  the  peaks,  offered  an  irrefutable  argu 
ment  against  him.  Falls  acquiesced.  Yet  to  the  man's 


274  THE    NORTHERNER 

sore  pride,  his  anguish  of  doubt  and  longing,  the  enforced 
nearness  to  Joan  under  her  roof,  her  father's  hand  upon 
his  arm,  was  a  trial  scarcely  to  be  borne.  Falls  thought 
with  dismay  of  the  quiet,  lamplit  evening  before  him; 
the  homelike  hearth,  the  tender  intimacy,  they  three  about 
the  shining  board;  of  the  girl's  averted  eyes  which  never 
would  meet  his  own,  her  ready  tongue  which  made  cour 
teous  effort  to  entertain  him,  her  soft  voice,  solicitous  for 
his  comfort.  .  .  . 

"  This  is  my  Castle  of  Indolence,"  the  old  man  was 
telling  him,  with  a  gentle  laugh,  when  at  last  Falls  dragged 
himself  from  his  bitter  musing.  "  I  come  here  to  escape 
the  courts  and  the  lawyers.  Inside  these  doors  folks  rest, 
whether  they  like  it  or  no.  Up  here,  the  hour  before 
dinner  is  sacred  to  repose  —  napping,  you  know.  Will 
you  go  to  your  room,  or  rest  in  the  library  here?"  He 
drew  Falls  to  the  open  doorway.  Within  was  the  cosy 
calm  of  the  evening  hour;  curtains  drawn,  a  gleaming 
hearth,  the  subdued  light  of  reading-lamps  which  shed 
a  clear  glow  downward,  leaving  the  room  in  gloom. 

"  Here,  I  think,"  said  Falls  with  a  smile.  "  It  would 
be  a  restless  mind  indeed  which  could  not  find  repose 
here!" 

But  when  Judge  Adair  had  left  him,  he  did  not  seek 
it.  He  paced  the  quiet  room  with  restless  feet,  hearken 
ing  to  the  hoarse  whoop  of  the  wind  in  the  gorge  as  to 
the  voice  of  a  comrade.  He  was  not  thinking,  merely 
struggling  among  the  breakers  of  feeling.  He  fought, 
as  strong  men  fight,  against  his  love  as  against  a  chain 
which  galled  him;  holding  down  with  resolute  will  the 
angry,  baffled  pain  which  swelled  his  sore  heart  to  burst 
ing,  as  he  would  have  held  down  some  savage  creature 


THE    MOOD    OF   WOMAN        275 

with  whom  he  wrestled.  Why  did  he  suffer  so?  Fool! 
When  all  along  he  had  known  it  must  come  to  this.  It 
had  been  madness,  folly,  to  dream  it  could  be  otherwise. 
She  was  of  the  place,  the  people  who  hated  him,  whom 
he  hated.  At  first  —  ah,  at  first  —  had  she  loved  him, 
even  then?  .  .  .  Could  he  blame  her  —  did  he?  No.  It 
had  been  too  strong  for  her  —  that  was  all.  What  was 
a  woman's  frail  purpose  against  God's  meaning,  working 
in  her  like  a  knife? 

He  flung  himself  into  the  dark  corner  of  a  couch  and 
gave  himself  to  the  mingled  sweetness  and  pain  of  the 
memory  of  the  Dixie  ball  —  to  futile  questioning.  Again 
he  felt  Joan  tremble  in  his  arm,  saw  her  sweet  face 
blanched  with  pain  —  pain  for  him!  Falls  hugged  the 
thought  for  a  brief  moment,  then  thrust  it  fiercely  from 
him  again. 

Suddenly,  and  without  a  warning  sound,  a  woman's 
form  showed  against  the  lighted  hall  beyond,  as  she 
peered  into  the  dusky  room. 

"  Jo !  "  said  Betty's  voice.  "  A-w,  Joan !  Why,  where 
on  earth  is  everybody  ?  I  've  had  my  nap  —  " 

She  came  into  the  room,  and  Falls  rose  from  his  dark 
corner  to  meet  her. 

"  Miss  Adair  is  resting,  I  think,  Miss  Archer."  He 
spoke  quietly,  fearing  to  startle  her,  but  his  thoughtfulness 
was  wasted.  As  though  a  trumpet  had  sounded  in  her 
ear,  the  girl  started  back;  her  eyes  hardening  with  anger 
to  gleaming  sapphires,  she  gazed  at  Falls,  a  wordless  ques 
tion  on  her  lips. 

"  You  did  not  know  that  I  was  here  ?  The  storm  has 
detained  me."  He  turned  the  chair,  upon  which  her  hand 
rested,  slightly  toward  her.  "  Won't  you  sit  down  ?  "  he 


276  THE    NORTHERNER 

said  gently.  "  I  have  wanted  so  much  to  speak  to  you ; 
there  are  so  many  things  —  " 

"  To  me  ?  "  she  said  in  a  low,  even  voice.  "  Speak  to 
me  —  you  murderer !  " 

Falls  looked  down  upon  her  in  silence.  Her  delicate 
brows  were  drawn,  her  features  rigid  with  anger;  and 
her  resemblance  to  that  other  face  whose  features  he  had 
watched  grow  slowly  rigid  in  death  smote  him  with  a 
spasm  of  remorseful  pity.  He  went  a  step  nearer  to  her. 

"  Will  you  not  let  me  speak  —  explain  ?  " 

"  Would  you  dare  to  try  ?  "  she  asked  him  slowly,  a  sort 
of  angry  wonder  slowly  breaking  through  the  rigid  mask 
of  her  face. 

"  Xot  for  myself,  perhaps,"  Falls  told  her,  and  made 
a  half-weary  gesture  of  negation,  "but  for  Watson  — 
yes,  I  would  dare !  " 

She  laughed,  and  even  in  that  troubled  moment  Falls 
marveled  that  a  sound  so  soft  upon  the  ear  could  convey 
so  harsh  a  meaning. 

"Are  not  your  heroics  a  little  bit  late  in  the  day,  Mr. 
Falls  ?  "  she  said  with  withering  scorn.  "  You  have  sac 
rificed  Hugh  without  remorse  —  " 

Falls  faced  her  squarely,  his  head  held  high,  an  amaze 
ment  in  his  somber  eyes  almost  too  deep  for  words. 

"I  —  I  sacrifice  Hugh ? "  He  paused  a  moment,  stead 
ied  his  voice.  "  I  would  give  my  life  for  Watson,"  he  said 
with  even  deliberation,  "  and  he  knows  it.  For  the 
rest  — "  He  turned  back  to  the  fire,  let  the  sentence 
lapse.  Betty's  blue  eyes,  hard  and  bright  with  anger, 
softened;  her  face  relaxed  its  lines  of  hate;  she  sank 
into  the  chair.  It  was  impossible  to  doubt  the  sincerity 
that  spoke  in  Falls's  half-weary  voice,  in  his  face,  harsh 


THE    MOOD    OF   WOMAN        277 

and  bitter  with  suffering.  His  somber  eyes  under  the  deep 
fold  in  his  brow  were  upon  the  red  logs;  he  did  not  look 
at  Betty,  —  his  own  bitter  thoughts  engrossed  him. 

"  But  you  knew/'  she  began  hesitatingly  —  in  spite  of 
her  anger,  her  bitterness,  a  wistful  note  would  betray  itself 
in  her  voice;  her  own  pain,  her  loneliness,  her  yearning 
for  Hugh  could  not  be  suppressed  — "  you  must  know, 
Mr.  Falls,  that  — that  I  — that  Challie  —  "  Her  speech 
faltered,  died  upon  her  quivering  lips.  Falls  turned 
quickly  to  her.  He  had  not  liked  the  girl  —  she  had  been 
so  harsh,  so  implacable  to  him,  it  seemed  impossible  that 
she  could  be  tender.  But  he  put  that  by;  when  all  was 
told,  this  was  the  woman  whom  Watson  loved;  nothing 
else  really  mattered. 

"  I  knew  nothing,"  he  said  gently.  "  Watson  has  never 
spoken  of  you.  But  of  course  I  suspected  the  estrange 
ment.  Jt  was  of  this  that  I  wished  to  speak,  if  you  will 
let  me  ?  "  He  turned  his  back  to  the  chimneypiece,  faced 
her,  looking  into  her  eyes,  his  own  eyes  grave  and  insistent. 
"You  know  the  circumstances  of  your  brother's  death, 
do  you  not?" 

Tears  welled  up  in  her  eyes,  her  hand  fluttered  to  her 
throat ;  she  could  not  speak,  but  she  nodded  silently. 

"  Forgive  me  if  I  give  you  pain  —  I  must  speak  for 
Hugh's  sake  —  for  the  sake  of  plain  right  and  common 
justice."  He  went  on  rapidly,  to  spare  her  all  he  could. 
"  You  know  but  one  ball  struck  the  lad.  That  ball  was 
from  my  hand  or  Hugh's  —  the  negro  did  not  shoot."  He 
leaned  toward  her  insistently.  "  Believe  that  it  was  from, 
my  hand,  Miss  Archer.  Believe  that  I  killed  your  brother. 
Morally  the  blame  is  mine.  I  took  Hugh  there  that  night ; 
but  for  me  he  would  never  have  been  there.  You  know 


278  THE    NORTHERNER 

that  Challie  would  not  have  harmed  a  hair  of  Lynn's 
head.  You  believe  this?" 

"Yes;  oh,  yes,"  miserably.  "It  — I  — you  do  not 
understand,  Mr.  Falls  —  " 

Falls  did  not  heed  her ;  his  voice  had  sunk  to  its  gravest 
note;  he  pressed  her  hard;  he  would  not  be  diverted  from 
his  purpose. 

"  Do  you  know  what  this  is  to  Watson  —  this  estrange 
ment  between  you?"  He  lifted  his  head,  stared  blindly 
past  her  into  the  dark  room.  "  Do  women  ever  know  ? 
...  Of  course,  Hugh  does  not  speak,  but  I  know  that 
this  is  breaking  his  heart."  The  girl,  with  a  gesture  of 
intolerable  pain,  hid  her  face  in  the  cushions  of  the  chair ; 
but  Falls  would  not  be  stayed.  "What  fairness  is  there 
in  your  attitude  to  him  —  what  reason  ?  Why  should 
Hugh  suffer  for  my  fault?  Blood-guiltiness  cannot  rest 
upon  us  both." 

"  It  was  not  that ! "  she  cried,  raising  her  face  toward 
him.  "You  —  you  do  not  understand.  I  —  I  thought 
somehow  you  knew;  but  I  see  now  you  do  not." 

She  dashed  the  tears  from  her  eyes,  faced  him,  speaking 
with  rapid  clearness.  "I  broke  my  engagement  with 
Hugh,  not  because  I  ever  believed  him  guilty  of  Lynn's 
death  —  my  mind  simply  cannot,  cannot  associate  him 
with  that  awful  thing !  It  was  because  of  you,  Mr.  Falls, 
because  he  would  not  break  with  you!  His  friends,  our 
kin  —  every  one  had  tried  to  influence  him  and  he  would 
not  listen  —  not  even  to  me!  Why,"  she  passionately 
demanded,  "  why  should  Hugh  take  your  side  against  his 
lifelong  friends  and  —  and  me!  Then  when  this  dread 
ful  —  dreadful  thing  happened,  when  my  poor  boy  — " 
She  paused,  steadied  her  quivering  voice,  crushed  down 


THE    MOOD    OF   WOMAN        279 

her  sobs,  and  with  bitter,  resentful  eyes  upon  Falls's 
unmojed  face,  hurried  on :  "  Then  after  Lynn  was  killed, 
and  we  all,  all  knew  it  was  your  fault,  I  told  Hugh  he 
must  make  his  choice ;  you  or  me,  and  he  took  —  you !  " 

"  Not  in  the  sense  you  mean,"  exclaimed  Falls  ear 
nestly.  "  Is  it  possible  that  you  do  not  see  that  no  other 
course  was  open  to  him,  in  honor?  Would  you  have  had 
him  suborn  his  honor  to  his  client,  betray  his  friend? 
What  are  you  women  made  of !  You  fail,  utterly  fail,  Miss 
Archer,  to  see  this  thing  at  its  true  value.  Watson's 
love  for  you  should  never  have  been  weighed  against  his 
loyalty  to  me,  never  for  a  moment!  It  was  unfair  to 
him  —  cruel !  There  could  be  no  question  of  my  influence 
with  Hugh  as  opposed  to  your  own,  unless  you  or  others 
chose  to  force  that  issue.  It  is  incredible  to  me  that  you 
should,  but  you  seem  to  have  ignored  the  vital  issue;  it 
was  not  the  sacrifice  of  his  friendship  for  me,  alone,  that 
was  involved  in  the  demand  you  made  upon  him,  but  this, 
of  course,  you  did  not  know.  What  it  really  meant  was 
the  sacrifice  of  his  business  integrity,  his  personal  honor; 
that  he  should  himself  become  the  tool  of  unscrupulous 
political  tricksters  in  a  deal  whose  object  was  to  line  their 
own  pockets!  You  are  not  lacking  in  shrewdness,  Miss 
Archer.  Ask  yourself  why  pressure,  and  persistent  pressure, 
should  have  been  put  upon  Hugh  for  this  purpose !  This 
ring  I  mentioned,  with  Evert  as  its  leader,  had  already 
tried  to  effect  this  thing  in  other  ways,  to  lash  Hugh 
in  —  " 

The  girl  started  upright  in  her  seat. 

"Lash  Challie!"  she  exclaimed  hotly.  "How  —  how 
dare  they ! " 

"Aye,"  said  Falls  grimly,  "lash  Challie!     But  they 


28o  THE    NORTHERNER 

failed —  How?  It  would  not  interest  you  to  know;  a 
business  detail,  that  is  all;  let  it  go  at  that,  won't  you? 
The  only  part  of  all  this  worth  your  consideration  is 
this:  when  they  had  failed  to  effect  their  purpose  they 
played  their  last  card."  Falls  paused,  but  his  stern 
glance  drove  his  meaning  home;  in  spite  of  herself  the 
girl  wavered;  facts  unknown  to  Falls  pressed  upon  her, 
and  without  her  own  volition  fitted  themselves  into  place 
in  his  quiet  recital.  But  Falls  was  speaking  again,  and 
his  quiet  voice  carried  conviction  spite  of  her  stubborn 
hatred  of  the  man  himself. 

"  This  last  card  I  speak  of  was,  briefly,  you,  Miss 
Archer!  If  you  could  be  got  to  make  this  demand  upon 
Watson,  ah,  then  indeed,  they  counted  on  success." 

The  girl  was  half-convinced ;  but  her  hate  for  Falls  was 
like  a  cordial,  the  pain  of  his  words  stung  her  to  a  quick 
reprisal. 

"  All  this  does  credit  to  your  —  invention,  Mr.  Falls," 
she  said  smoothly;  "it  is,  I  suppose,  a  natural  revenge, 
and  quite  worthy  of  you,  to  slander  the  men  who  have 
injured  you  —  " 

"  You  are  deliberately  missing  the  point,  Miss  Archer. 
No  one  has  injured  me,  though,  of  course,  the  motive  of 
the  attack  upon  Hugh  was  to  injure  me;  still,  in  effect 
I  have  escaped.  It  is  Hugh  who  is  suffering.  That  is 
my  only  concern  with  this  matter;  that  is  to  me  the 
inner  imperative !  That  is  why  I  have,  as  you  say, '  dared/ 
Your  antagonism,  your  childish  pique  —  wounded  van 
ity,  do  not  affect  me  to  any  degree;  but,"  he  finished, 
with  his  old  grave  simplicity,  "it  is  breaking  Challie's 
heart." 

Betty  turned  a  face  from  which  every  tint  of  its  usual 


lovely  bloom  had  faded,  upon  Falls,  her  bosom  rising  and 
falling  in  a  tumult  of  pain  and  anger. 

"  How  —  how  dare  you !  "  she  breathed  with  quivering 
lips.  "  Why  do  you  thrust  yourself  into  this  ?  What  con 
cern  of  yours  is  it?" 

"  It  is  not  entirely  between  you  and  Hugh,"  said  Falls 
gently,  "  and  I  told  you  a  moment  ago  why  I  have  spoken 
—  well,  thrust  myself  in,  if  you  prefer  the  term !  Wat 
son  will  never  give  way  in  this  —  No !  Do  not  deceive 
yourself,  Miss  Archer!  You  can  break  his  heart,  rob  life 
of  all  that  it  is  worth  to  him,  but  you  cannot  make  Hugh 
betray  his  honor.  Child,"  he  cried  with  a  sudden  vehe 
mence,  "  is  happiness  so  cheap  that  you  can  afford  to  be 
thus  reckless  with  it  ?  " 

Betty  did  not  answer,  but  gazed  steadily  past  him  into 
the  blaze.  Falls  dropped  into  a  chair  beside  her,  and 
though  her  hard  gaze  did  not  leave  the  fire,  he  knew  she 
listened  as  he  talked  on;  no  longer  arguing,  but  telling 
her,  gravely  and  simply,  little  homely  details  of  Hugh's 
daily  life;  assuming,  with  quiet  tact,  both  her  interest 
and  her  right  to  know  all  of  his  inner  life  that  Falls  knew 
himself;  and  by  imperceptible  degrees  this  tacit  assump 
tion  of  her  possession  wooed  her,  as  Falls  knew  it  must, 
to  forget  the  jealousy  of  him  that  had  rankled  so  sorely. 
Without  a  hint  of  effect,  yet  without  reserve,  he  described 
the  change  in  Hugh;  the  weary  boredom  which  had  re 
placed  his  old,  gay  humor;  his  restless  days  and  sleepless 
nights;  his  manly  effort  to  hide  his  need  of  Betty,  his 
loneliness ;  the  agony  of  yearning  which  would  not  let  him 
even  call  her  name  lest  he  give  way  —  all  this  he  told  her, 
and  as  she  listened  her  stubborn  face  grew  tender;  a 
sigh  quivered  through  her  shut  lips;  she  forgot  the  man 


282  THE    NORTHERNER 

beside  her,  her  long  lashes  drooped  over  dreaming  eyes  — 
eyes  that  dreamed,  as  Falls  well  knew,  of  Hugh.  She  did 
not  notice  when  his  voice  finally  ceased,  and  they  sat  to 
gether  in  silence  for  a  space,  broken  only  by  the  clear 
tinkle  of  the  embers  on  the  hearth,  and  the  bellow  of  the 
storm  which  still  lashed  the  forests  without.  Falls  watched 
her  curiously  for  some  sign  of  yielding  that  would  tell 
him  he  had  won  the  battle  for  his  friend. 

She  rose  at  last  and  turned  to  Falls.  "  I  do  not  pretend 
that  our  talk  here  to-night  has  changed  my  feelings,  my 
personal  feelings,  to  you,  Mr.  Falls,"  —  Falls  bowed  a 
little  wearily,  —  "  but  I  am  glad  you  have  told  me  this. 
So  glad !  "  A  flush  sprang  to  her  cheeks.  She  hesitated, 
went  a  step  nearer  him  a  little  shyly.  "I  —  I  know  you 
did  it  for  Challie's  sake  —  brought  us  together  again,  I 
mean;  I  know  you  think  I  am  not  good  enough  for 
him  —  " 

"I  know  you  are  not,"  he  told  her  inexorably. 

"But  if  it  is  any  satisfaction  to  you  to  know  that  — 
that  —  " 

"You  '11  do  the  right  thing  by  Hugh?"  he  cried 
eagerly.  "  You  mean  that  ?  I  may  tell  him  ?  " 

In  the  eager  glow  of  his  pleasure  for  his  friend,  Falls 
held  out  his  hand,  but  Betty  shrank  coldly  back. 

"Why  do  you  hate  me,  child?"  he  asked  slowly,  as 
he  dropped  his  hand.  "What  makes  you  hate  a  man  who 
never  injured  you?" 

"I  —  every  one  does,"  she  said  simply.  "  All  the  people 
that  I  go  with  hate  you.  I  only  went  with  the  rest." 


XXII 

HEARTS   INSURGENT 

is  Betty's  bridal  bouquet,  father,"  cried  Joan, 
holding  up  for  his  inspection  a  loose,  exquisite 
bunch  of  freshly  gathered  snowdrops.  "  Hugh  dug  the 
bed  for  Betty  and  me  when  we  were  tots.  I  think  it  is  a 
rather  sweet  idea,  don't  you,  father?" 

"  Yes.  It  is  hard  for  me  to  realize  that  Challie  is  to 
be  married  to-day,  and  to  little  Betty  Archer.  Why,  't  is 
only  yesterday  I  was  shaking  hands  with  Ben  Archer 
and  asking  after  his  new  baby  girl." 

"  It  is  going  to  be  a  p-e-rfectly  i-d-e-a-1  wedding," 
sighed  Joan,  in  rapt  complacency.  "  I  planned  it  e-v-ery 
bit  myself.  And  the  house  —  " 

"Falls  is  Hugh's  best  man,  is  n't  he?" 

"  Oh,  father,"  in  tender,  shocked  surprise,  "  a  best  man 
at  a  wedding  like  this —  Who  ever —  Mr.  Falls  is  in 
New  York;  he  will  not  be  at  the  wedding."  Her  eyes 
were  on  the  dainty  bells;  a  hard  note  marred  her  fresh 
young  voice;  a  hot  flush  swept  her  cheek;  she  choked 
back  the  pain  which  rose  in  her  throat  as  a  vision  of  Falls's 
face  floated  for  a  moment  before  her. 

And  the  quiet  wedding  had  been  over  two  weeks  before 
Falls  found  himself  again  in  Alabama.  He  sat  in  his 
office  at  the  power-house,  his  foreman  McNelly  with  him, 
his  bag  and  coat  upon  a  chair  beside  him.  The  west-bound 


284  THE    NORTHERNER 

train  had  set  him  down  an  hour  before  at  the  bridge,  and 
he  had  walked  across  to  get  his  mail,  which  lay  upon 
the  desk  before  him.  Both  gloom  and  weariness  were  in 
the  fixed  gaze  he  bent  upon  the  smoke  curling  from  his 
cigar. 

"  I  might  put  Carmichael  here,  since  we  are  so  pressed 
for  men ;  he  is  pretty  fair  with  machinery.  The  up-town 
place  is  easier  to  fill." 

"  Aye,  sir,"  said  McXelly  with  reserve,  "  you  might." 

"  Things  are  running  a  trifle  roughly  just  now,  McXelly, 
but  we  '11  come  out  ahead  yet.  We  've  a  good  fighting 
-chance.  And  the  contracts  must  be  held !  " 

"All  right,  sir,"  said  McXelly  cheerfully,  "ef  you  say 
fio,  Mr.  Falls."  And  Falls,  with  one  of  his  rare  moments 
of  softening,  laid  his  hand  upon  the  man's  rough  shoulder ; 
but  even  as  he  did  so  a  quick  frown  crossed  his  face. 
He  glanced  with  keen  exasperation  at  the  man's  face. 

"You  've  been  drinking,"  he  said  coldly. 

"  Only  a  finger  as  I  came  by  town,  sir  —  nothing  to 
hurt.  You  have  worse  than  me  to  look  to,  Mr.  Falls," 
significantly. 

"  Nothing  is  worse  than  a  drunken  foreman,  McXelly." 

"I  'm  not  drunk,  sir." 

"  Drinking  —  let  it  go  at  that.  I  will  go  back  East 
on  that  late  train.  Get  my  bag  across  to  the  station  in 
time,  will  you?  I  must  get  in  to  my  rooms  for  an  hour 
or  two." 

But  if  he  was  getting  in  to  his  rooms,  he  was  taking  an 
uncommonly  roundabout  way,  or  the  Leftwich  Building 
must  be  coming  to  meet  him  at  a  trysting-place  among 
the  hills,  for  he  turned  aside,  and  took  Joe  rapidly  along 
the  mountain  road  which  led  up  the  broad  steps  of  the 


HEARTS    INSURGENT  285 

foot-hills.  About  him,  as  far  as  eye  could  reach,  was  the 
crude  brilliancy  of  March's  varnished  landscapes  and  lac 
quered  skies. 

With  the  reins  upon  the  horse's  neck,  his  unseeing  gaze 
upon  the  panorama  of  spring  bloom  outspread  before  him, 
he  mused  in  bitter  introspection. 

"  I  have  the  drift  of  this,  I  think,"  he  said  to  himself. 
"It  is  some  infernal  rot  about  their  insane  prejudice-— 
their  blasted  '  color-line ! '  I  might  —  nay,  I  could,  con 
vince  Joan's  mind;  but  how  combat  instinct,  rearing,  and 
prenatal  influences  ?  She  would  bow  to  me  as  Betty  does/' 
—  he  laughed  shortly,  —  "  and  look  behind  her  to  see  who 
saw  her  do  it.  ...  Xo,  it  must  be  all  in  all  —  or  not 
at  all.  I  will  not  crawl  to  any  woman.  I  would  not  have 
her  love  unless  her  faith  —  "  Joe  nickered  restlessly,  and 
Falls,  peering  into  the  woods  in  the  direction  of  the  horse's 
pointing  ears,  saw  deep  within  the  tangled  greenness 
where  the  ragged  snow  of  dogwood  powdered  the  half -bare 
undergrowth,  the  glint  of  a  burnished  flank.  A  spirited 
head  was  thrust  through  the  boughs,  and  Bitchie  came 
slowly  to  meet  them,  his  saddle  empty. 

Falls  leaped  to  the  ground,  crashed  through  the  flowery 
thickets,  trampling  the  waxen  faces  of  the  mountain 
laurel,  and  a  moment  later  the  dragging  rein  was  in  his 
hand,  and  Eitchie,  nothing  loath,  was  nozzling  his  sleeve 
in  condescending  recognition.  Falls  glanced  him  over 
hurriedly;  then  suddenly  he  leaned  sick  and  trembling 
against  the  horse.  Upon  the  creamy  leather  of  the  saddle 
was  a  red  stain,  yet  damp  to  his  touch.  A  moment  to 
beat  back  the  sharp  anguish  which  blinded  him,  and  Falls 
had  plunged  back  into  the  thicket,  following  the  fresh 
tracks  in  the  loamy  soil. 


286  THE    NORTHERNER 

Deep  within  the  hushed  beauty  of  the  spring  woods, 
where  the  sunlight  sifted  through  half-opened  foliage  upon 
a  carpet  thick-set  with  violets,  Joan  wandered,  singing 
softly  to  herself,  the  heavy  folds  of  her  habit  slung  across 
one  arm,  her  eyes  searching  out  the  haunts  of  the  wild 
flowers,  which  slunk  out  of  sight  in  cracks  and  crannies, 
and  fled  to  the  topmost  points  of  the  boulders  to  escape 
this  charming  marauder.  At  every  other  step  she  paused 
to  add  yet  one  more  to  the  great,  straggling,  lovely  bunch 
she  held.  She  was  standing,  poised  lightly  upon  a  stone, 
pursuing  a  clump  of  Indian  pink,  when  a  crash  in  the 
woods  behind  her  first  caught  her  ear.  She  abandoned  her 
floral  prey  for  the  moment,  and  stood  listening,  like  a 
lovely  dryad  about  to  slip  into  the  mossy  beech-hole  at 
her  side.  Not  frightened  —  what  was  in  the  woods  to 
frighten  anybody?  —  but  listening  with  misgiving  for  the 
thudding  of  the  iron  hoofs  she  expected  to  hear.  Ritchie 

—  the  cunning  thing!     And  she  had  knotted  that  bridle 

—  and  knotted  it! 

An  impetuous  hand  thrust  aside  the  wild  azaleas,  and 
Falls  stepped  into  the  sunlit  glade,  glancing  keenly 
along  the  ground  for  something  —  the  girl  could  not  think 
what.  Herself  unseen,  Joan  stood  transfixed,  her  eyes 
on  Falls,  her  hand  holding  the  flowers  pressed  against 
her  breast.  A  sudden  mist  dimmed  her  vision,  so  that, 
for  a  moment,  she  could  not  see  him.  And  it  had  been 
so  long  —  so  long,  since  she  had  seen  him !  She  had 
thought  he  was  in  the  North.  How  came  he  here  —  what 
could  he  be  looking  for  —  with  that  pale  face  of  anguish  ? 

The  torturing  vision  which  Mrs.  Allen's  words  had 
seared  upon  the  girl's  brain  for  the  moment  slunk  out 
of  sight.  Deep  within  her  young  bosom  woke  and  stirred 


HEARTS    INSURGENT  287 

the  primal  instinct.  He  was  there  before  her,  and,  for 
some  reason  which  she  could  not  divine,  he  was  suffering; 
she  loved  him  —  and  he  needed  her. 

She  slipped  softly  from  her  perch,  and,  stumbling  in 
the  heavy  folds  of  her  habit,  with  wide  eyes  which  never 
left  Falls's  face,  she  went  toward  him. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  she  cried.  «  What  troubles  you  ?  "  Un 
consciously  she  held  her  hands  out  to  him,  the  great  bunch 
of  flowers  dropping  unheeded  upon  the  ground. 

Falls  could  not  speak;  with  her  hands  in  his,  crushing 
them  against  his  breast,  he  gazed  dumbly  down  iipon  her 
in  the  swift  revulsion  from  despair  to  relief,  to  certainty. 

They  stood  thus,  motionless,  in  the  first  shock  of  feeling. 
Each  was  drinking  deep  of  the  unexpected  joy  of  the 
other's  presence. 

It  was  Falls  who  spoke  first.  "  The  horse ! "  he  said 
unsteadily,  "  Eitchie !  I  met  him  in  the  road  —  his  bridle 
loose  —  blood  on  the  saddle !  I  thought  —  God !  "  His 
broad  chest  heaved  convulsively. 

Joan  had  drawn  her  hands  away  from  him,  and  with 
a  little  trembling  smile  she  held  up  her  wrist,  about  which 
a  handkerchief  was  tightly  twisted.  The  folds  of  the 
linen  were  stiff  with  blood. 

"  I  tried  to  reach  that  Judas  bloom  —  such  a  fine  bit 
—  from  the  saddle,  and  Ritchie  started  and  jerked  my 
arm  against  the  barbed  wire  of  the  fence." 

In  spite  of  her  sudden  cool  aloofness  —  for  Joan  was 
beginning  to  remember  again  —  Falls  took  her  arm  into 
his  hand,  and  deftly  unwinding  the  handkerchief,  laid 
bare  the  jagged  cut  upon  her  wrist.  "  It  is  nothing," 
he  said,  with  a  quick  sigh  of  relief,  after  a  moment's 
examination;  "it  has  stopped  bleeding." 


288  THE    NORTHERNER 

The  little  blue-veined  wrist  lay  along  his  palm;  too 
proud  to  struggle,  the  girl  left  it  quietly  in  his  hold.  It 
may  be  that  those  minutes  of  agonized  uncertainty  in  the 
wood  had  shaken  the  man  out  of  his  habitual  self-control. 
Whatever  the  cause  which  prompted  the  mad  impulse, 
Falls  bent  his  head  quickly  and  kissed  the  wound;  kissed 
it  with  all  the  pent-up  passion  with  which  for  weeks  he 
had  been  struggling. 

With  his  kiss,  memory  awoke,  and  with  a  gesture  of 
loathing,  she  snatched  her  hand  from  his  lips.  A  flood 
of  angry  scarlet  poured  over  her  face  and  ebbed  again; 
her  eyes  met  Falls's  with  the  same  frozen  horror  and  dis 
gust  which  he  had  seen  before. 

"  How  —  how  dare  you !  "  she  whispered.  She  turned 
from  him  with  hidden  face,  and,  as  if  her  trembling  limbs 
could  no  longer  support  her,  sank  upon  a  stone  and  buried 
her  face  upon  her  outstretched  arms. 

Falls  stood  still,  his  face  slowly  whitening,  his  mind 
striving  to  pierce  the  motive  underlying  the  girl's  swift 
aversion.  Suddenly  he  crossed  the  space  between  them, 
dropped  upon  his  knee  beside  Joan,  and  drew  her  hands 
from  her  tear-stained  face.  She  struggled  to  rise,  to  free 
her  hands,  but  he  held  her  with  gentle  firmness. 

"We  are  going  to  have  this  out  to-day,  you  and  I," 
he  said  with  exquisite  gentleness,  his  head  bent  down 
to  her  averted  face.  "I  had  thought  that  I  would  go 
away,  get  this  thing  under,  blot  you  out  of  my  life  — 
as  men  do,  you  know;  but  God  —  fate  —  whatever  it  is, 
has  given  me  this  chance.  I  would  be  mad  to  let  it  pass 
me  by." 

Falls  spoke  brokenly,  with  a  stammering  tongue.  "I 
love  you,  Joan  —  love  you.  .  .  .  You  know,  do  you  not? 


HEARTS    INSURGENT  289 

For  months  —  since  the  very  first  almost  —  you  have  been 
all  _  all  —  " 

Joan  writhed  in  his  hold,  shrunk  from  him  —  tried  to 
thrust  him  off.  "  Don't  —  don't  speak  like  that  to  me," 
she  sobbed ;  "  I  cannot,  cannot  bear  it !  " 

His  voice  sunk  lower.  "  Tell  me  what  this  is  that  has 
come  between  us  ?  Has  n't  it  —  does  n't  it  —  Joan,  is  it 
the  curse  of  Dixie  that  poisons  the  blood  of  all  you  South 
ern  people,  —  this  cursed  color-line  ?  " 

She  did  not  answer. 

"  You  will  tell  me,  will  you  not  ?  " 

She  met  his  eyes  at  last,  her  own  hard  with  pain.  "  I 
asked  father;  father  says  no  sane  person  would  doubt 
the  evidence  of  his  own  senses.  And  I  am  sane." 

Falls's  stern  lips  bent  into  a  smile  of  tender  coaxing. 
"  Is  it  the  piccaninny  I  rode  on  my  shoulder  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,"  she  said,  looking  straight  past  him  down  the 
green  alleys  of  the  woods;  "no,  I  saw  you  —  " 

"  Saw  me  ?     In  God's  name  where  ?  —  doing  what  ?  " 

He  saw  her  struggle  to  answer,  saw  the  words  die  on 
her  lips,  and,  like  fire  smitten  from  a  stone  by  the  sharp 
impact  of  a  blow,  his  own  mind  flashed  him  the  answer. 
He  rose  from  where  he  knelt  and  looked  her  coldly  over 
as  though  he  saw  her  for  the  first  time. 

"  Great  God !  "  he  said  at  last  slowly,  "  do  you  think 
me  so  vile  ? "  He  laughed  a  hoarse,  shaken  laugh,  not 
good  to  hear.  "  No  wonder  you  fended  off  my  touch ! 
Child,  what  sort  of  men  .  .  .  Did  you  think  that  I  could 
come  to  you  — "  The  girl  made  an  anguished  gesture. 
"  I  know,"  he  said,  "  I  know  I  forced  this  on  you  —  you 
tried  to  avert  it  —  but  I  had  to  know.  Well "  —  he  drew 
his  breath  in  sharply  through  clenched  teeth  —  "well,  we 


290  THE    NORTHERNER 

are  both  awake  now;  wide-awake.  But  one  thing  before 
I  go.  You  did  not  state  the  proposition  fairly  to  your 
father.  You  should  have  told  him  the  evidence  of  one 
of  your  senses,  unsupported;  merely  that  of  eyesight. 
You  saw  me  at  that  cabin  over  there.  Yes;  but  Joan, 
you  did  not  know  what  I  did  there  —  why  I  went !  When 
you  do  —  if  ever  you  do  —  it  may  change  things  for  you. 
As  for  me  —  "  He  picked  up  his  hat,  paused  a  moment. 
"  Kitchie  is  just  below  us,  here  upon  the  road.  May  I  —  " 
She  made  a  negative  gesture  without  raising  her  head, 
and  a  moment  later  his  step  sounded  upon  the  rocks  of 
the  roadway,  growing  fainter;  an  echo  of  his  voice  floated 
to  her  as  he  spoke  to  his  horse. 

"Joan  is  coming,  pet,"  said  "Watson,  coming  in  with 
a  telegram  in  his  hand  to  where  Betty  lay,  like  a  drooping 
rose,  among  her  pillows,  convalescing  from  malarial  fever. 
"  St.  Augustine  won't  seem  so  far  from  home  then,  will  it  ? 
Won't  it  be  great  to  have  her  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Betty  without  enthusiasm.  "  Mark  Cald- 
well  is  coming,  too,"  she  added  with  apparent  irrelevance. 
It  brought  Watson's  heavy  brows  together  in  an  annoyed 
frown. 

"A-w,  there  's  nothing  in  that,"  he  said  shortly. 

"  I  would  n't  be  a  man  for  anything,"  said  Betty  with 
calm  scorn,  "  much  less  a  lawyer !  They  are  the  most  ob 
tuse —  It  takes  a  hundred  pages  of  typewritten  evidence 
and  twelve  stupid  men  in  a  box,  and  a  judge,  and  heavens 
knows  what  else,  to  get  a  single  thing  into  their  heads ! " 

Watson  smothered  a  laugh  upon  her  bosom  as  he  leaned 
over  her.  "  May  I  inquire,  madam,  concerning  your  pro 
cedure?" 


HEARTS    INSURGENT  291 

"Why,  I  just  kii oiv f  and  that  'a  all  there  is  to  it.  And 
I  just  know  that  Joan  will  never  look  at  Gregory  Falls  —  " 

"  If  she  does  not,"  said  Hugh,  his  worried  frown  deep 
ening,  "she  will  make  the  mistake  of  her  life!  Falls  is 
the  finest  gentleman  I  have  ever  known,  Betty !  '  The 
truest  friend  and  the  noblest  foe ! ' : 

"  Pooh,  Challie,  you  are  so  absurd  about  Mr.  Falls ! " 

Watson  was  silent;  Betty  slid  a  penitent  hand  into 
his;  drew  his  head  down  to  see  that  he  was  not  offended; 
received  his  smile,  his  kiss  upon  her  pretty,  tumbled  curls. 
Peace  restored,  Watson  took  up  his  paper. 

Silence  for  five  minutes. 

"Challie?" 

"Well?" 

"  I  can  talk  to  you  about  anything  I  like  now  we  are 
married,  can't  I?" 

"  You  could  before  —  " 

"  I  mean  a  little  —  er  —  " 

"Fy!"  said  Hugh,  laughing,  "naughty  Betty!" 

"  It  's  about  Mr.  Falls." 

"  Fire  away !  You  don't  know  anything  on  Falls. 
Nobody  does;  he  is  n't  that  sort." 

"  Pooh !  "  said  Betty,  "  pooh,  several  times !  What  do 
you  call  all  that  talk  about  Rosebud,  Hugh?" 

Watson  was  reading  without  his  glasses,  holding  the 
paper  close  before  his  face,  and  his  start  was  lost  in  the 
rustling  folds.  He  answered  carelessly  after  a  second. 
"What?  — what  about  Rosebud?" 

"  Oh,  Hughie ! "  Betty's  voice  was  like  the  cooing  of 
a  dove  in  mating  season.  "  Of  course  you  know !  Why, 
it  was  all  over  town !  " 

"I  do  not  know;    I  never  heard  a  word  about  Falls 


292  THE    NORTHERNER 

in  connection  with  the  girl  in  my  life !  I  have  lost  sight 
of  her  utterly,  and"  —  he  paused  a  moment,  looking 
carelessly  along  the  columns  of  the  paper  —  "  and  I  wish 
you  to  do  the  same." 

But  Betty  had  disappeared;  only  a  bunch  of  soft  curls 
remained  above  the  surface  to  show  where  she  had  gone 
down;  a  stifled  sob  came  from  the  depths. 

Watson  cast  the  paper  aside,  and  rising,  passed  into 
the  next  room.  A  pitiless  search-light  seemed  to  have  been 
turned  upon  the  innermost  recesses  of  his  soul  —  his  mind. 
Under  its  light  he  saw  the  circumstances  of  the  past  weeks 
with  startling  clearness.  This  talk  —  how  much  it  made 
clear  to  him!  Falls  had  been  under  this  for  weeks.  He 
leaned  upon  the  window  in  the  dressing-room,  his  hands 
clinched  upon  the  sill.  Before  him  was  a  stretch  of  daz 
zling  sand,  the  feathery  green  of  palmetto  scrub  and 
the  blue  waters  seen  through  a  burning  mist. 

This  was  why  Falls  lingered  in  New  York;  this  was 
what  had  come  between  him  and  Joan. 

"  I  know  well,"  he  thought,  hot  with  impotent  anger 
against  himself,  "  those  wicked  tongues  of  slander,  the 
sickening  mesh  of  circumstance  in  which  his  manhood  has 
struggled,  netted  and  bound!  Falls  and  Betty  —  always 
those  two ! " 

A  sob  fell  upon  his  ear.    Poor  Betty ! 

He  went  to  her,  drew  the  covering  from  her  face,  kissed 
her  —  soothed  her  with  caresses.  "  You  said  I  might," 
she  sobbed,  "and  then  —  then  —  I  did  not  make  it  up, 
Hugh !  It  was  all  over  town  !  " 

He  kissed  her  again  absently.  "  Betty,  does  Joan  know 
this  —  vile  thing  you  women  have  invented  about  Falls  ?  n 

"  Why,  Hugh !    Everybody  in  'Dairville  knows  it !    It  'a 


HEARTS    INSURGENT  293 

been  talked  about  for  months.  Mr.  Cad  Allen  saw  Mr. 
Falls  in  New  York  with  Rosebud  —  " 

Watson  groaned. 

"  —  and  Joan's  Aunt  'Liza  went  out  to  the  mountain 
house  and  told  her." 

"  My  prophetic  soul !  "  muttered  Hugh. 

He  propped  the  girl  up  in  her  pillows,  took  her  two 
hands  in  his  own.  "  Now  listen,  Betty,  never  forget  this 
as  long  as  you  live,  child !  You  are  my  wife  —  the  core 
of  my  soul  —  and  all  that  a  man  can  give  a  woman  of  him 
self  I  give  you.  But  there  is  a  big  part  of  me  —  of  any 
man  —  which  men  do  not  give  to  women;  all  of  me  that 
is  not  yours  belongs  to  Falls!  I  love  him  as  much  as  I 
do  you  —  yes !  let  me  tell  it  you  —  make  you  understand 
this  once  for  all!  I  love  Gregory  differently,  you  know 

—  differently,  but  as  truly  as  I  love  you!     I  could  not 
see  him  suffer,  know  that  I  had  wronged  him  —  see  an 
other  wrong  him,  any  more  than  I  could  see  you  wronged ! 
Falls  is  my  friend,  you  are  my  wife  —  both  are  dearer 
to  me  than  life.     Never,  as  long  as  you  live,  try  to  come 
between  us!     Never  again  let  a  word  of  evil  of  him  pass 
your  lips !    This  thing  you  speak  of  is  a  vile  —  a  heinous 
falsehood!     Never  let  me  hear  it   on  your  lips   again. 
Now  put  your  arms  round  my  neck  —  tell  me  that  you 
love  me,  and  that  you  will  obey  me." 

Two  soft  arms  came  round  his  neck. 

"I  love  you,  Challie,"  whispered  Betty  meekly,  "and 

—  and  I  —  " 
"Say  it,  Betty!" 

"  —  will  obey  you." 


XXIII 

LOVE   WILL   FIND   THE   WAY 

IS  Miss  Adair  at  home,  Milly  Ann?"  asked  Hallett, 
standing  upon  the  Adair  door-mat  the  day  after 
Joan's  return  from  St.  Augustine. 

"  Ya-as,  sur,"  demurely  answered  Milly  Ann.  She  led 
the  way  with  soft  teetering  footsteps  to  the  quiet  room 
where  Joan  and  Judge  Adair  sat  playing  their  nightly 
game  of  cribbage. 

Hallett  called  often  at  the  house,  but  he  never  entered 
this  room  without  a  renewed  sense  of  its  charm,  as  well 
as  a  chastening  recollection  of  the  not  long  past  days 
when  Judge  Adair's  courtesy,  like  that  of  so  many  of 
Hallett's  gentlemen  acquaintances,  had  not  extended  to 
his  fireside.  Those  were  the  days  when  Hallett,  with  the 
patience  of  the  born  diplomat,  had  founded  his  faith  in 
the  solvency  of  time  to  bring  about  the  disintegration 
of  those  conditions  which  made  him  welcome  in  the  offices 
and  business  houses  of  his  men  acquaintances,  and  barred 
their  homes  to  him.  His  faith  had  not  gone  unrewarded. 
In  the  ten  years  of  his  residence  in  Alabama  he  had  seen 
that  slow  stream  of  time  reintegrate  from  the  debris  of 
the  old  regime  a  new  system  of  things.  Upon  the  silt 
thus  deposited,  and  covering  the  wreckage  of  the  war,  had 
been  laid  the  foundations  of  the  New  South.  That  he 
had  himself  been  accepted,  at  last,  simply  aa  a  compro- 

294 


LOVE    WILL    FIND    THE    WAY    295 

mise,  a  part  of  the  new  system  of  things,  Hallett  perfectly 
understood,  but  the  knowledge  had  brought  neither  re 
sentment  nor  the  slightest  abatement  of  a  policy  which 
had  been  so  potent  a  factor  in  the  amelioration  of  those 
conditions.  So  it  had  come  about  that  in  the  general 
subsidence  Hallett  had  found  himself  among,  if  not  of, 
the  old  aristocracy  of  Dixie  —  accepted  by  most  of  the  old 
families  of  Adairville,  welcomed  by  a  few,  rejected  by  two 
or  three.  Of  this  latter  small  class,  whose  attitude  was 
marked  by  courteous  indifference  rather  than  antagonism, 
Judge  Adair's  family  had  been  one.  During  the  earlier 
days  of  Hallett's  residence  in  the  town,  the  family  had 
consisted  of  only  Judge  Adair  and  Hugh,  Joan  being  a 
madcap  schoolgirl,  whom  the  town  alternately  worshiped 
for  her  beauty  and  brilliancy,  and  groaned  over  for  her 
reckless  independence  of  thought  and  action.  Even  in 
those  days,  when  she  had  passed  him,  swinging  her  books 
with  the  strong,  easy  swing  of  a  lovely  boy,  with  shy 
glances  from  under  her  gold-tipped  lashes,  Hallett  had 
adored  her. 

Upon  the  reopening  of  the  house  to  society,  when  Joan 
was  grown,  Hallett  had  persistently  sought  an  entrance 
there,  paying  open  and  assiduous  court  to  the  girl.  His 
wooing  was  of  the  deliberate,  strategic  order,  the  care 
fully  perfected  plan  of  the  born  intriguer.  And  she 
watched  his  siege  in  silence  and  with  an  amused  tolerance, 
without  evincing  sufficient  interest  to  erect  a  barricade 
or  prepare  a  line  of  defense. 

To-night  she  greeted  him  calmly  upon  his  entrance, 
including  him  in  the  fireside  group  with  a  courteous  ease 
that  just  missed  cordiality.  To  his  passionate,  resentful 
eyes  she  seemed  somehow  to  be  denying  him  the  right 


296  THE    NORTHERNER 

even  to  look  at  her,  as  she  leaned  far  back  in  her  low 
chair  among  her  cushions,  her  drooping  lashes  hiding 
dreaming  eyes  of  cool  abstraction,  leaving  the  guest  tacitly 
to  her  father.  The  talk  ran  nimbly  on  between  the  two 
men;  it  was  all  of  Falls  and  Falls's  affairs,  and  of  the 
once  more  disabled  plant  of  the  ill-starred  Power  and  Pas 
senger  Company.  Joan  heard  from  Hallett's  lips  for  the 
first  time  of  the  fresh  disaster  which  had  completely 
wrecked  the  machinery. 

Carelessness,  Hallett  pronounced  it,  or  criminal  igno 
rance.  No,  —  this  with  rather  more  reserve,  —  he  believed 
the  town  papers  had  not  reported  it.  Probably  in  the 
course  of  the  next  month  or  two  Montgomery  would  give 
them  several  columns  of  "  language  "  about  it. 

All  this,  together  with  a  cheerful  prophecy  concerning 
the  total  extinguishment  of  the  Power  and  Passenger 
Company,  was  detailed  in  Hallett's  clear-cut  tones,  with 
frank  regret  very  pleasant  to  see.  "  Oh,  yes/'  said  he,  in 
answer  to  Judge  Adair's  last  question,  "  it  closed  down 
on  last  Tuesday  night.  No  sign  yet  from  Falls;  yet 
Carmichael  would  no  doubt  have  notified  him.  It  has  been 
rumored  that  Falls  was  on  his  way  to  England.  At  all 
events,  only  about  five  days  remain  to  him  of  the  two 
weeks'  limit ;  unless  he  is  heard  from  in  that  time  it  means 
smash  for  Falls !  " 

Joan,  lying  lazily  in  her  long  chair,  brushing  her  cheek 
with  a  deep  red  rose  from  the  vase  beside  her,  in  apparent 
abstraction,  was  making  a  rapid  calculation.  Last  Tues 
day,  Hallett  had  said?  Watson  had  not  heard  of  this 
on  Saturday,  when  she  had  left  him  in  Florida!  Her 
mind  ran  over  the  letter  from  Falls  which  Hugh  had  read 
her  the  day  she  left,  dated  from  his  club  at  New  York; 


LOVE   WILL    FIND    THE   WAY    297 

ehe  remembered  the  address  perfectly,  but  —  that  could 
wait! 

The  words  of  the  letter  started  up  before  her  eyes,  in 
Falls's  clear,  even  writing: 

"  I  will  run  the  plant,"  he  had  written,  "  as  long  as 
I  have  a  dime,  or  a  lump  of  coal  —  or  a  man  to  shovel  it !  " 

Seven  days,  and  no  word  or  sign  that  he  knew  or  cared 
for  the  fate  of  his  plant!  Incomprehensible!  When  she 
caught  the  current  of  the  talk  once  more,  Hallett  was 
saying : 

"  No ;  Carmichael  is  with  him  —  though  he  was  ad 
vised  to  get  clear  of  him  weeks  ago  —  rats  and  a  sinking 
ship,  you  know !  " 

"  Is  the  Power  and  Passenger  Company  a  sinking  ship  ?  " 
asked  Judge  Adair  quietly. 

Hallett  caressed  a  knee  of  his  faultless  trousers  with 
an  air  of  regretful  decision,  as  he  said: 

"  I  think  it  is,  Judge !  I  —  well,  if  any  man  in  town 
is  qualified  to  know  the  condition  of  Falls's  affairs,  I  am, 
and  I  know  positively  that  every  dollar  he  has  in  the 
world  is  in  this  deal  here.  There  is  not  a  ha'penny  of 
English  capital  invested  in  it.  When  it  goes  down"  — 
a  hard  complacence  crept  unconsciously  into  Hallett's 
frank  tones  — "  when  it  goes  down,  Falls  goes  under 
with  it!" 

In  Judge  Adair's  eyes,  resting  courteously  upon  his 
guest,  there  shone  so  clear  a  light  of  comprehension,  so 
scornful  a  summary  of  the  whole  recital,  and  withal  so 
strong  a  likeness  to  the  lovely,  downcast  one  across  the 
hearth,  that  Hallett's  startled  eyes  sought  Joan  with  a 
swift  interpretation  of  her  cold  abstraction,  only,  however, 
to  meet  instant  reassurance  in  her  attitude  and  expression. 


298  THE    NORTHERNER 

Joan  reclined  among  her  rose-colored  pillows,  her  grace 
ful  head  drooping  in  thought,  while  the  roses  bending 
from  their  tall  vase  beside  her  were  not  more  still,  nor 
seemingly  more  unattached  than  she. 

But  Hallett  could  not  see  her  eyes.  Nor  could  he  know 
of  the  turmoil  of  rushing  thoughts  engrossing  Joan's 
mind,  as  she  sought  to  grasp,  to  fix  in  memory,  the  flood 
of  facts  poured  out  upon  the  stream  of  Hallett's  clear, 
incisive  speech.  And  all  the  while  came  the  insistent  cry 
of  her  heart  —  to  help  him!  Her  breath  came  short,  in 
little  sobbing  breaths  —  the  furbelows  of  her  dainty  gown 
trembled  to  the  rapid  beating  of  her  heart. 

Hallett  talked  on  and  on ;  she  could  not  keep  pace  with 
it.  Would  he  never  stop  —  never  give  her  time  to  think 
—  to  plan ! 

The  necessity  for  action  gnawed  at  her  mind;  but 
action  in  what  direction? 

Still  she  lay  quietly  among  her  pillows  and  seemed 
to  droop  in  the  heat  like  the  heavy-headed  roses  beside  her. 
Groping  blindly  for  the  end  of  the  tangled  skein,  her  gaze, 
focused  to  inward  vision,  fell  upon  Hallett's  face  as  he 
mused,  for  the  space  of  a  heart-beat  in  a  pause  of  the 
talk,  upon  the  man  whose  ruin  he  had  so  ably  and  inex 
orably  compassed.  And  in  that  instant  the  kaleidoscope 
of  her  broken  thoughts  was  shaken  into  form  by  what 
she  saw  there ;  her  brain  cleared  as  does  some  turgid  mix 
ture  under  the  action  of  a  chemical  reagent. 

There  had  come  to  Hallett,  sitting  in  the  light  of  that 
shining  hearth,  under  the  eyes  of  the  woman  whom  Falls 
loved,  one  of  those  crucial  moments  in  which  a  mind 
trained  to  duplicity  turns  upon  itself,  and  the  features, 
so  long  obedient  to  the  tyrant  will,  turn  traitor  to  their 


LOVE   WILL    FIND    THE   WAY    299 

parts;  it  is  an  instant  when  the  will  is  in  abeyance,  when 
there  seems  to  be  a  blind  spot  in  the  nervous  tissue  of 
the  brain  corresponding  to  the  blind  spot  upon  the  retina 
where  there  is  no  vision ;  will  is  for  the  instant  suspended, 
and  the  thing  upon  the  mind,  which  has  brooded  in  secret, 
radiates  from  a  man's  glance  —  from  his  whole  face. 

Joan  had,  in  an  extraordinary  degree,  the  intuitive 
intelligence  which  distinguishes  women  of  high  mentality ; 
and  supplementing  this  gift  was  her  power  of  clear  rea 
soning  inherited  from  her  father,  as  well  as  the  old  man's 
inimitable  poise.  It  kept  her  silent  now  in  her  attitude 
of  graceful  ease,  while  a  fierce  tumult  of  thought  assailed 
her. 

In  the  instant  when  she  had  looked  through  his  reverie 
into  the  brain  behind  it,  the  whole  scheme  by  means  of 
which  Falls  was  to  be  frozen  out  and  ruined  was  pro 
jected  before  Joan's  mental  vision  with  the  clear  detail 
of  an  image  cast  by  a  magic  lantern. 

A  web  of  circumstance  was  spun  backward  in  her  brain 
and  she  saw  the  extinguishment  of  Falls's  plans  —  the 
imminent  ruin  of  his  business  life. 

Joan  rose  after  a  few  moments,  and,  crossing  to  her 
father,  bent  a  cheek  pale  with  excitement  to  his  own. 
"  Father  dear,  I  must  ask  you  and  Mr.  Hallett  to  excuse 
me  to-nighi  I  —  I  do  not  feel  just  myself,"  she  said 
quietly;  and  it  was  so  evident  that  she  did  not,  that  they 
made  no  demur.  She  left  them,  bidding  Hallett  finish  her 
game  of  cribbage  with  her  father. 

In  the  hall,  her  heavy  train  tucked  into  the  hollow 
of  her  arm,  Joan  went  with  flying  feet  to  her  father's 
study,  where  a  minute's  search  supplied  her  with  a  tele 
graph  form;  she  rapidly  filled  in  the  name  and  address 


300  THE    NORTHERNER 

as  she  stood,  and  without  hesitation  the  message  flowed 
from  her  pen: 

"  Your  affairs  need  you  here ;  return  at  once,"  she 
wrote,  and  paused;  the  pen  slid  from  her  unconscious 
fingers,  unheeded,  to  the  floor;  she  sank  upon  the  arm  of 
the  chair,  staring  at  a  square  of  wall-paper  with  eyes  that 
saw  nothing  but  Falls's  face  looking  down  upon  her  in 
anger  and  pain.  A  mist  blurred  her  clear  eyes,  a  chok 
ing  anguish  of  shame  rose  in  her  throat  as  that  last  scene 
with  Falls  rose  before  her  with  aching  distinctness. 

The  clock  behind  her  on  the  mantel  began  to  strike  — 
ten,  eleven !  Joan  started  up,  found  her  pen,  and  bending 
down,  wrote  firmly,  "  J.  H.  Adair,"  which  were  her  father's 
initials  as  well  as  her  own. 

A  wire  also  to  Hugh  —  a  dozen  addresses  recklessly 
dashed  down;  some  one  of  them  must  find  him!  Ten 
minutes  later  Joan  stood  arrayed  in  her  box  coat,  with 
Milly  Ann  beside  her. 

Milly  Ann  was  Joan's  usual  escort  in  her  after-dinner 
visitings  among  her  girl  friends  on  the  hill,  and  the  two 
girls  found  their  way  with  accustomed  feet  down  the  back 
stairs,  out  on  the  rose  gallery  to  where,  in  the  very  black 
ness  of  darkness,  the  terraced  lawns  yawned  below  them, 
leading  to  the  road  to  town. 


XXIV 

A  WOMAN'S   VERDICT 

hall  clock  pointed,  with  grave  reproof,  to  a  quar- 
_L  ter  past  twelve  as  Joan  softly  crossed  the  hall  on 
her  way  up-stairs.  She  held  her  breath  as  she  passed  the 
parlor  door,  turning  away  after  a  moment's  pause  with 
an  impatient  gesture.  They  were  still  playing  cribbage. 
Would  Mr.  Hallett  never  go!  Clad  in  her  long  gown  of 
silk,  as  blue  as  the  October  skies,  Joan  restlessly  paced  the 
floor,  with  her  door  set  open  to  hear  Hallett  when  he  took 
his  departure. 

To  and  fro  she  went,  and  the  soft  whisper  of  the  silk 
followed  her.  She  loosened  the  heavy  plaits  of  her  bright 
hair,  pushing  it  restlessly  from  her  face,  gathering  the 
long,  curling  ends  into  her  hands  as  she  wandered  about 
the  room,  drawing  it  like  a  mantle  of  cloth  of  gold  about 
her,  seeing  always  Falls's  face  before  her;  his  look  of 
pain,  of  scorn,  of  unfaltering  renunciation.  She  had  not 
stated  the  proposition  fairly  to  her  father,  he  had  said. 
If  that  be  true,  she  could  undo  that,  at  least;  make  rep 
aration  in  that  far  for  the  wrong  she  had  done  him. 
Wrong !  She  knew  it  now.  That  hideous  memory,  which 
had  spread  through  her  like  a  slow  poison,  tainting  her 
mind,  filling  her  soul  with  sick  horror,  fell  from  her 
to-night  like  an  infected  garment.  During  the  weeks 
she  had  been  with  Hugh  in  Florida,  his  faith  in  Falls, 

301 


302  THE    NORTHERNER 

his  devotion,  his  loyalty  had  appealed  to  her  strongly, 
set,  as  it  were,  against  her  own  faltering  unfaith.  Over 
and  over  she  had  thought  that  Hugh  would  speak  —  would 
intercede  for  his  friend,  but  he  had  not.  Only  a  moment 
at  the  last  he  had  spoken  briefly.  He  went  with  her  to 
the  train,  and  stole  her  a  moment  from  the  gay  party  of 
friends  —  from  Caldwell  and  his  tender,  unobtrusive  solic 
itude —  and  whispered  just  as  the  train  was  pulling  out: 
"Joan,  Falls  is  going  to  England  next  month,  but  he  '11 
be  home  before  he  sails."  That  was  all. 

This  scheme  of  fraud  and  treachery  of  which  she  had 
learned  to-night  —  and  of  which  Hugh  evidently  knew 
nothing  —  had  been  skilfully  planned  and  carried  out  just 
when  both  Watson  and  Falls  were  out  of  town,  by  Hallett 
and  a  ring  of  home  men  —  her  father's  and  her  own 
friends  and  kinsfolks. 

True,  she  had  no  proof.  And  her  father  would  be  sure 
to  talk  about  proof.  Both  he  and  Hugh  always  talked  of 
proof,  when  a  thing  was  as  pl-a-in  as  d-a-y ! 

But  Hallett  was  going  at  last.  Judge  Adair's  tone, 
courteous  and  a  little  weary,  reached  Joan  as  he  bade  his 
guest  good  night.  Joan  found  her  way  swiftly  to  the 
study,  where  she  knew  she  would  find  her  father  smoking 
his  nightcap  pipe,  and  Pomp  nodding  upon  the  rug  at 
his  feet. 

He  heard  her  coming,  soft-footed  like  a  kitten,  over  the 
shining  hall  floor.  "  Is  the  headache  better  —  or  was  it 
Hallett?" 

"It  was  Mr.  Hallett,"  she  answered,  in  a  tense  voice 
that  startled  her  father.  "  Father  dear,  I  want  to  talk 
to  you,  if  you  are  not  too  sleepy.  No,  no  —  I  am  too 
heavy  for  your  knee.  Let  me  have  a  piece  of  your  chair 


A   WOMAN'S   VERDICT          303 

—  so.     I  am  a  great,  big  girl  now,  you  know,  father ; 
*  expanding  into  womanhood/  as  you  said.  ...  Do  you 
remember  when  you  told  me  that  I  would  know  that  I 
was  grown  up  —  when  my  heart  began  to  ache  ?  " 

The  Judge  laid  his  pipe  aside,  waiting  gravely,  his  hand 
upon  the  heavy,  unbound  locks  which  made  her  seem  a 
child  again  —  except  for  that  pale  excitement  on  her  face, 
so  new,  so  strange  in  his  boyish  Joan.  When  at  last  he 
caught  the  drift  of  her  hurried  speech,  Joan  was  telling 
him  in  terse,  clear  narrative  of  the  plot  against  Falls. 
Every  detail  of  the  treachery,  the  injustice,  seeming  to  be 
etched  into  her  brain;  even  names  and  dates  were  fitted 
into  her  account  with  an  unconscious  accuracy  that  amazed 
Judge  Adair.  As  she  went  on,  her  father,  more  and  more 
troubled,  took  her  cold  hands  into  his  and  felt  them  trem 
ble;  noted  the  pale  exhaustion  of  her  face  with  pained 
wonder,  which  was  not  wonder  either,  but  premonition  of 
the  thing  that  had  haunted  him  for  years.  This  was  love ! 
For  thirty  years  his  heart-strings  had  been  wrapped  round 
his  two  women,  this  child  and  her  mother.  He  saw  on 
the  face  before  him  the  pain,  the  rapture,  which  that  other 
face  had  worn  for  him.  This  was  love! 

"  My  daughter,"  he  said  at  length,  "  I  have  known  of 
this  dirty  piece  of  scheming  for  weeks  —  Hugh  also;  it 
has  been  patent  to  the  town.  Not,  perhaps,  just  how  it 
would  be  done,  but  that  it  would  be  done  sooner  or  later. 
The  tool  was  all  that  has  been  lacking  until  now;  and 
now,  it  seems,  Jimmy  Carmichael  was  not  able  to  stand 
the  pressure.  .  .  .  But  what  is  all  this  to  you,  my  child 

—  this  vulgar  wrangle  between  two  conflicting  business 
interests  ?  " 

He  felt  her  hands  grow  colder  and  the  slender  fingers 


304  THE    NORTHERNER 

closed  upon  his  own  with  nervous  tension,  but  she  met  his 
eyes  bravely. 

"  I  thought  you  would  ask  that,  father.  I  —  I  am  ready 
to  answer,  but  —  you  know,  don't  you,  father?" 

"  I  have  an  idea,  daughter,  of  course.  The  signs  are 
not  hard  to  read  on  a  face  like  yours.  Will  you  answer 
me  —  I  must  know,  my  pet,  if  I  am  to  help  —  I  am  to 
help,  am  I  not?" 

Her  arms  about  his  neck  answered  him,  her  cheek  on 
his. 

"  Is  Falls  your  lover,  child  ?  "  with  calm  directness. 

"I  —  I  do  not  know,  father,"  she  murmured,  her  face 
hidden. 

"  Joan !  "  remonstrated  the  old  man,  "  what  can  I  make 
of  that?  You  must  know,  my  pet.  Women  always 
know  —  " 

"I  do  not  know  now." 

"Ah!    Does  Falls  love  you,  or  not?" 

"  Not  now,"  more  faintly  still. 

"He  did,  and  he  told  you  so,  and  now  he  does  not? 
Am  I  right?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Is  this  a  lovers'  quarrel,  dear  ?  " 

"  No,  oh,  no,  father !  " 

The  old  man  mused,  his  daughter  held  close  at  his  heart. 
"I  cannot  probe  your  heart  with  questions,  daughter. 
Tell  me,  if  you  will,  how  it  is  with  you." 

"I  loved  him  —  I  love  him  now;  but  I  wronged  him 
—  cruelly,  father.  And  —  and  I  have  lost  him." 

The  old  man  drew  her  closer  to  his  heart. 

"  What  could  you  have  done  to  Falls  to  wrong  him  so 
bitterly,  daughter?" 


A   WOMAN'S   VERDICT          305 

"  I  told  him  that  you  said  no  sane  man  would  doubt 
the  evidence  of  his  senses  —  " 

Judge  Adair  started,  held  the  girl  off  from  him  while 
he  interrogated  her  with  grave  eyes. 

"  My  child !     What  can  this  mean,  Joan  ?  " 

She  gazed  back  at  him  with  wide  eyes,  whose  strained 
gaze  was  dark  with  trouble,  as  she  answered  as  simply  as 
a  child: 

"  I  do  not  know,  though  I  thought  I  did.  Will  you  tell 
me,  please,  father  ?  He  —  Gregory  said  I  had  not  stated 
the  proposition  fairly  to  you  — ; 

"  State  it  now.  Be  careful,  daughter.  Language  is 
a  terrible  weapon  to  slay  happiness.  I  've  seen  it  twine 
like  a  cobra  about  a  man  and  choke  life,  honor,  happiness 
out  of  him !  " 

"  Once  before,  some  time  ago,  I  asked  you  about  the 
direct  evidence  of  one's  own  senses.  Do  you  remember  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  do ;  you  often  ask  me  abstract  questions,  but 

—  yes,  I  think  I  can  recall  it.    You  said,  if  I  remember, 
that  if  a  person  saw  a  thing  with  his  own  eyes,  under  cir 
cumstances  which  admitted  of  no  reasonable  doubt,  how 
would  the  man  stand  toward  the  fact?" 

"  And  you  said,  father,  that  no  sane  man  would  doubt 
the  evidence  of  his  senses ;  and  I  told  him  —  told  Gregory 

—  and  —  and  —  " 

"  It  was  Falls  you  asked  me  about  ?  You  had  seen 
him  —  " 

"  I  saw  him  with  —  " 

"  Another  woman  ?  " 

"Yes." 

Judge  Adair  rose,  putting  Joan  gently  on  one  side,  and 
paced  the  room  with  thoughtful  steps. 


3o6  THE   NORTHERNER 

"  Child,"  he  said,  coining  back  to  her,  laying  his  hand 
gently  upon  her  bowed  head,  "child,  one  isolated  fact, 
even  if  it  rests  upon  the  evidence  of  a  man's  senses,  may 
be  susceptible  of  explanation  —  extenuation." 

"  It  was  not  an  isolated  fact,  father.  I  thought  of  that ; 
I  fought  for  my  faith  against  all  sorts  of  odds.  There 
was  corroborative  evidence  —  it  all  hung  together,  too, 
too  fatally  well !  " 

"  But  you  say  you  wronged  him  —  wronged  Falls  ?  You 
believe  him  to  be  innocent  —  " 

"I  feel  him  innocent,  in  my  heart,  you  know,  father. 
I  do  not  think  him  so  with  my  brain.  When  I  shut  my 
eyes,  my  mental  eyes  only  feel,  only  —  only  love  him. 
Then  nothing  matters.  But  I  cannot  stay  asleep.  You 
see,  father,  I  am  not  as  strong  as  he  is.  I  cannot  put 
him  out  of  my  heart  —  cease  to  think  of  him,  to  love  him ! 
No  matter  what  I  know,  I  must  love  him  j  ust  the  same ! " 

Judge  Adair  stooped,  gathering  the  girl  up  in  his  arms, 
crooning  over  her  as  her  mother  might  have  done. 

"  I  've  let  you  suffer  like  this !  Taught  you  to  blot  out 
life  with  question-marks!  God  forgive  me!  .  .  .  Who 
was  this  woman,  Joan  —  did  you  know  her  ?  " 

She  writhed  in  his  arms,  pressing  her  face  into  his 
breast.  "  Do  not  ask  me,  father  —  I  cannot,  cannot  tell 
you  —  I  should  die  of  shame !  "  she  moaned. 

The  old  man's  face  hardened. 

"Joan,"  he  said  at  last,  "if  I  believed  this  thing,  I 
should  not  advise  you  to  put  Falls  forever  from  your 
mind  and  heart;  I  should  command  it.  I  should  take 
you  to  the  world's  end  to  keep  you  from  him.  But  some 
thing  tells  me,  child,  —  I  feel,  as  you  say,  that  this  can 
not  be.  There  is  something  in  the  man  himself  which 


A   WOMAN'S   VERDICT          307 

forbids  roe  to  think  him  vile.  Falls  is  not  an  easy  man 
to  know,  't  is  true;  he  is  a  stiff,  cold  fellow —  How  he 
ever  won  my  baby's  heart !  But  the  very  fact  that  he  has, 
no  matter  through  what  storm  and  stress,  ranges  me  on 
his  side.  You  could  not  love  him,  child,  were  he  un 
worthy.  .  .  .  Let  me  plead  for  Falls  —  for  my  daughter's 
heart.  Joan,  I  have  been  a  judge  for  forty  years.  I  was 
weighing  human  evidence  before  Falls  was  born,  and  I 
know  how  little  it  is  worth.  Let  me  look  into  this  mat 
ter—  " 

"  Oh,  father !  You  are  the  dearest  —  but,  father,  you 
have  forgotten  that  he  hates  me  now ! " 

"  Pooh !  Falls  is  eating  his  heart  out  in  New  York 
to-night  for  your  sake,  child.  Unless,  indeed "  —  he 
stopped,  laughed  gently  —  "unless  he  has  your  telegram 
by  this  time,  and  is  worrying  over  his  plant.  Poor  Falls 
—  poor  Orestes!  Scourged  by  the  furies  —  his  love  and 
his  business!  He  's  made  a  magnificent  fight  here,  and 
against  the  heaviest  odds!  And  now  this!  You  do  not 
know,  Joan,  what  a  thing  like  this  can  be  to  a  man. 
A  proud,  reserved  man,  like  Falls  —  " 

"  Father,  do  not,  do  not !     I  cannot,  cannot  bear  it  —  " 

He  soothed  her  for  the  moment,  but  he  did  not  spare 
her.  Gently,  but  inexorably,  he  did  the  duty  that  his  wife 
would  have  done  more  tenderly,  perhaps;  but  he  did  it 
in  the  only  way  he  knew,  the  way  that  nearly  seventy 
years  of  life  had  taught  him. 

"Love  is  not  divisible  into  its  elements,"  he  told  her. 
"  We  cannot  analyze  it,  accepting  and  rejecting  as  we  will ; 
it  is  not  a  mental  thing,  as  you  would  make  it,  Joan,  and 
you  must  see  this.  You  have  told  me  that  you  love  Falls, 
but  that  you  must  close  the  doors  of  your  mind  to  do 


3o8  THE   NORTHERNER 

so;  that  is  not  love,  my  precious.  Life  will  teach  you. 
Falls  gave  you  your  first  lesson,  when  he  left  you,  in 
perfect  love  —  the  sort  Falls  is  demanding  of  you;  and 
that  very  fact  makes  me  trust  him.  Mind  and  heart,  brain 
and  conscience,  body  and  soul,  the  depths  of  your  nature 
no  less  than  its  heights,  all  must  pull  together.  Love  fills 
the  whole  perspective  of  life.  '  The  taint  of  earth,  the 
odor  of  the  skies/  is  in  it,  child." 

He  paused,  gazing  into  the  fire,  looking  back  over  the 
wide  area  of  his  past ;  then  solemnly  he  went  on :  "I 
would  not  myself  have  a  woman  —  not  if  she  gave  me 
her  life,  her  heart,  her  lips,  and  all  wifely  submission  — 
if  she  held  back  even  a  shred  of  her  faith  in  me." 

"He  said  so,  father;  he  told  me  that  it  must  be  'all 
in  all,  or  not  at  all ! ' ; 

"  Ah !  Well  —  I  can  go  a  little  further  than  you  seem 
willing  to  go,  though  Falls  is  your  lover.  I  will  say,  I 
think  —  I  am  of  the  deliberate  opinion  —  that  Falls  can 
explain  this  circumstance.  ...  I  will  find  out.  How? 
Easily  enough.  Nothing  is  ever  really  hidden  in  this 
world." 

They  talked  on  before  the  sinking  fire,  and  the  girl 
found  comfort;  the  terrible  finality  of  youth's  vision  be 
came  expanded  to  her  father's  own,  and  she  saw,  not  the 
universe  in  black  ruins  about  her  head,  but  the  sunlight 
upon  the  distant  hills. 

"  Falls  has  not  a  leg  to  stand  on  in  this  business  here," 
he  told  her  calmly ;  "  but  it  does  not  matter.  The  Power 
Company  must  shut  down  —  is  shut  down  now  —  and  that 
does  not  matter  either.  No  business  on  earth  could  stand 
the  drain  Falls  has  been  under  for  ten  months,  -ilad  he 
the  Bank  of  England  at  his  back.  .  .  .  '  Break  his  heart  ? ' 


A   WOMAN'S   VERDICT          309 

Is  this  my  child  I  have  boasted  could  reason?  Men  do 
not  put  their  hearts  into  their  business.  Falls  knew  what 
to  do  with  his  heart.  His  bank  account  only  is  in  danger. 
If  he  had  invested  his  capital  as  safely  as  he  has  his  heart ! 
.  .  .  But  do  not  worry  about  your  lover,  child.  Father 
will  see.  Evert  and  Jim  Frazier  do  not  hold  'Dairville 
in  the  hollow  of  their  palms  yet  —  not  yet!  Nor  the 
State  Judiciary,  either.  Hugh  will  be  back  —  you  sent 
him  a  wire  also  ?  Eight !  We  will  have  that  opinion  from 
the  Supreme  Court  in  April;  and  then  Hugh  will  have 
a  word  to  say  to  Evert,  and  to  Hallett  —  and  maybe  to 
Sears.  You  knew  that  Falls  has  found  McCormack? 
Orestes  may  find  the  scourge  in  his  own  hand  some  fine 
day.  But  it  all  hinges  upon  this  decision  —  and  it  upon 
Caldwell ! " 

"  Did  you  know  Mark  Caldwell  had  been  in  St.  Augus 
tine,  father?  Well,  he  was.  And  I  talked  to  him  quite 
a  good  deal  about  this  matter  here.  .  .  .  Why,  1  talk 
about  what  I  like,  of  course!  It  seemed  such  a  pity,  you 
know,  that  he  should  not  know,  before  he  made  his  de 
cision,  just  how  things  were;  and  so  —  why,  I  told  him! 
He  was  not  a  judge  then,  father,  was  he?  Was  n't  he  just 
a  plain  man  ?  At  a  dance,  you  know  —  sailing  —  driv 
ing.  He  had  not  his  judicial  mind  on  then,  had  he  ?  " 

The  old  Judge  laughed,  hugged  her  close :  "  God 
knows ! "  he  cried,  wiping  the  tears  of  laughter  from  his 
eyes.  "  Only  God,  who  made  feminine  logic  and  put  it 
in  the  world  to  work  confusion  in  men's  minds,  could 
answer  that !  Thank  Heaven  it  is  not  within  my  juris 
diction!  Xow  kiss  me,  and  run  away  to  bed." 

"  Fadie,,"  —  she  had  not  called  him  thus  for  years,  — 
"fadie,"  Joan  paused,  pressed  down  the  ashes  in  her 


3io  THE    NORTHERNER 

father's  pipe  with  a  deft  little  middle  finger,  ramming 
them  hard  home,  "you  're  sure  you  are  not  jealous  about 
—  about  anything?  You  don't  mind  my  loving  —  any 
one  else  ?  " 

"No,  I  would  not  keep  you  from  your  lover,  child." 
And  the  old  man  held  her  close  that  she  might  not  see 
the  quiver  of  his  face. 


AN"  April  sky  hung  above  the  terraced  lawns;  the 
spring  wind  stirred  gently  the  half-unfolded,  satiny 
foliage  of  trees,  whose  wide  canopies  cast  a  dappled  shade 
upon  the  new  grass  and  the  tender  verdure  of  the  under 
growth.  In  the  dark  wall  of  the  cedars  a  redbird  flashed 
in  and  out,  swaying  upon  the  somber  bough  like  a  live 
coal,  as  he  tuned  his  golden  flute  to  the  ear  of  his  little 
dun  mate,  watching,  with  bright  eyes,  her  gorgeous  lord 
preening  and  parading  without.  From  the  silver  poplars, 
shaking  a  cloud  of  silken  catkins  like  a  sunset  cloud  of 
ashes  of  roses,  came  the  wrangling  of  the  blue  jays. 

Joan  watched  them  with  a  smile,  standing  upon  one 
of  the  upper  terraces,  whence  she  issued  calm  orders  from 
the  depths  of  a  white  sunbonnet  tied  under  her  dainty 
chin  to  old  Jen*  and  the  Captain  of  the  Guard,  'Zekial. 

"  I  want  e-v-ery  sin-gle  leaf  raked  off  of  these  terraces 
and  carried  off  and  burned  —  in  an  unquenchable  fire ! 
without  any  smoke,  Jeff  and  Zeke  —  without  a  p-a-rticle 
of  smoke ! " 

"  Ya-as  'm,"  said  Jeff  to  Joan ;  and  he  muttered  to  his 
wheelbarrow :  "  Gawd  A'might'  knows  how  Fse  gine  to 
burn  up  des  'ere  wet  leaves  in  er  unsquinchable  fire  — 
dout  makin'  no  smoke !  Git  'p,  wheelbar'r !  " 


3i2  THE    NORTHERNER 

Joan  turned  to  go  within,  and  found  herself  in  a  pail! 
of  arms  —  strong  arms,  tweed  clad  —  that  gave  her  a 
hearty  embrace;  a  pair  of  glasses  fell  upon  the  ground  at 
her  feet,  and  Watson,  finding  her  mouth  at  last  under  the 
crisp  flutings  of  her  head-gear,  kissed  her  heartily. 

"  That  's  one  of  the  many  advantages  of  being  a  mar 
ried  man  —  I  can  kiss  you  again,  Jo !  " 

Joan  found  his  glasses  and  put  them  on  for  him,  his 
eyes  resting  lovingly  upon  her  the  while. 

"  How  well  and  handsome  you  look,  Hugh !  I  used  not 
to  think  you  handsome.  And  what  p-e-rfectly  1-o-vely 
clothes ! " 

"  They  are  part  of  my  trousseau,"  he  said  complacently ; 
and  Joan  gave  a  dainty  shriek  of  laughter. 

"  Hugh,  do  men  have  a  trousseau  ?  Why,  I  thought 
only  girls  —  " 

"  Goose !  Did  you  suppose  a  man  rushes  into  matri 
mony  as  he  would  from  a  burning  building,  with  only 
what  he  had  on  ?  " 

"  Something  like  it !  "  she  laughed.  "  Come  in,  Hugh, 
and  stop  for  luncheon." 

"  No,"  he  said,  suddenly  grave,  "  I  came  out  to  see  you, 
Joan  —  to  have  a  talk  like  old  times.  Let  's  go  on  to 
the  wistaria  arbor;  that  's  a  good  place  to  exchange  con 
fidences  ! "  with  an  attempt  at  lightness. 

A  fear  clutched  Joan's  heart.  Had  he  sailed,  and  had 
Challie  come  to  tell  her? 

Watson  threw  himself  down  upon  the  bench. 

"  I  courted  Betty  here,"  he  said,  looking  about  him. 
"  There,  right  there  by  the  steps,  I  kissed  her  for  the 
first  time.  The  more  fit  for  expiation !  " 

Joan  turned  her  clear  eyes  upon  him  in  amaze. 


"MY    LOVE    IN    DIXIE"         313 

"  Expiation,  Hugh?  Why,  what  can  you  mean?  And 
to  me?" 

"Aye;  to  you!  But  for  another  —  for  Falls."  He 
broke  off  abruptly,  sat  in  thought,  as  though  he  sought 
within  his  mind  a  fitting  opening  for  what  he  had  to  say; 
but  when  he  spoke  again  it  was  to  recall  with  tender  grav 
ity  scenes  of  their  childhood,  when  Joan  was  but  a  baby. 

"  You  don't  remember  when  Elvira  used  to  bring  you 
down  in  your  little  nightie  to  say  good  night  to  me  and 
Uncle  John,  do  you,  Jo?"  He  laughed  boyishly  at  a 
sudden  recollection.  "  You  used  to  ride  straddle  on  my 
knee  —  and  stick  out  your  little  pink  toes,  and  say,  *  T-u 
turkey/  after  me.  You  were  the  sweetest  angel  that  ever 
dropped  through  a  star-hole !  Have  you  forgotten  t  T-u 
turkey '  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Challie,"  she  told  him  gently ;  "  that  classic  ode 
has  escaped  me.  It  is  part  of  the  expiation  ?  " 

"Aye;  it  goes  back  to  that  time.  But  you  must  be 
nearly  twenty  now,  Joan,  are  you  not  ?  You  are  a  woman 
now;  old  enough  to  understand  —  " 

Joan  turned  a  face  of  anguish  upon  him,  her  hands 
fluttering  to  her  heart. 

"  Oh,  Hugh,"  she  cried,  "  must  you  ?  Oh,  must  you  ?  " 
and  buried  her  face  upon  his  bosom. 

Watson  put  his  hand  upon  her  head,  pressing  it  closer 
to  him.  " Keep  it  there,  Joan,"  he  said  hoarsely ;  "I  —  I 
can  tell  this  cursed  thing  easier  if  I  do  not  see  your  eyes ! 
.  .  .  Last  winter,"  he  went  on,  forcing  himself  to  speak 
firmly  and  rapidly,  "  last  winter,  Joan,  you  saw  —  out 
there  on  the  mountainside,  at  a  cabin  —  you  saw  Falls 
there  with  a  colored  girl  —  Rosebud,  did  you  not  ?  Joan, 
listen  to  me.  You  were  wrong  —  cruelly,  wickedly  wrong ! 


3i4  THE    NORTHERNER 

Falls  had  never  seen  that  girl  but  once  in  his  life  before 
that  afternoon.  He  was  acting  for  —  for  another  man 
—  for  me,  Joan !  That  girl,  Kosebud,"  —  he  spoke  slowly, 
as  though  to  gain  breath  to  steady  his  hoarse  voice,  which 
was  scarce  audible;  his  handsome,  stolid  face  was  white 
to  the  lips,  —  "  that  girl  is  —  my  daughter,  Joan." 

With  a  bitter  cry  the  girl  tore  herself  from  his  arms. 
"  Oh,  Challie,  Challie !  You,  too !  I  've  lost  you,  too !  " 

Watson  sat  in  silence,  his  heavy  face  hiding  his  pain. 
It  was  the  bitterest  moment  of  his  life.  "All  that  Mrs. 
Allen  told  you  was  as  false  as  hell  —  false,  not  in  inten 
tion,  but  in  fact,"  he  said  at  last.  "  Falls  was  with  Bose- 
bud  in  New  York  for  about  two  hours.  He  met  her  there, 
put  her  aboard  a  steamer,  paid  her  passage  to  Germany  — 
with  my  money!  He  did  this  for  me  —  to  lift  off  of  me 
the  consequences  of  my  own  viciousness.  And  to  save 
Betty.  It  was  simple  friendship  to  me;  no  other  motive 
on  God's  earth!  And  for  that  he  has  been  hounded  by 
their  blatant  tongues !  " 

Joan  leaned  back  in  the  corner  of  the  bench,  her  eyes 
upon  the  long  line  of  the  mountains  in  front  of  her,  her 
soft  hands  clasped  tight  together.  Watson  parted  them, 
and  taking  one  into  his  warm  clasp  went  on : 

"Hallett  had  got  hold  of  this  —  this  old  madness  of 
mine.  He  had  a  letter  —  absolute  proof  —  and  he  was 
using  it  to  injure  me,  to  ruin  Falls,  and  to  break  Betty's 
heart.  Falls  went  to  him  and  took  the  letter  —  took  it 
by  force,  you  know.  Now,  Joan,  you  understand,  do  you 
not,  that  you  hold  my  happiness  and  Betty's  —  Betty's 
very  life,  child!  —  in  this  little  rosy  hand?"  He  put  it 
to  his  lips.  "I  laid  my  happiness  cheerfully  in  the 
balance  against  Falls's  honor;  but  Betty,  Joan  —  " 


"MY    LOVE    IN    DIXIE"         315 

''  I  know,  Challie ;    I  understand." 
'  And  Falls?    Joan,  has  all  this  nightmare  that  I  have 
./one  through  here  to-day  —  this  pain  to  you  —  has  all 
ihis  been  in  vain?     Things  will  be  right  between  you 
now  ?  " 

"  He  hates  me !  "  she  murmured ;  "  he  will  never,  never 
forgive  me,  Hugh.  Never !  " 

"  Falls  loves  you  to  distraction,  Joan ;  he  will  love  you 
as  long  as  he  lives,  even  if  he  does  not  come  back  to  you/' 

Joan  turned  her  startled  eyes  upon  Watson,  with  an 
agonized  question  that  her  breathless  lips  could  not  utter. 

"  No ;  not  that !  Falls  will  be  in  Adairville  to-night. 
I  meant  come  back  in  the  sense  of  making  the  first  ad 
vance  toward  patching  up  this  —  this  quarrel.  That  is 
all ;  but,  Joan,  there  is  a  harsh,  unbending  streak  in  Falls, 
for  all  his  gentle  tolerance,  and  he  '11  take  it  through 
life  with  him  —  and  six  feet  into  the  ground  at  last ! 
Don't  cross  it,  dear  girl.  And  don't  expect  of  him  what 
is  not  in  him  to  give." 

"  Challie,  what  can  I  do  to  — " 

"  To  show  Falls  that  you  are  changed,  that  you  will 
make  him  happy?  Nothing,  unless  he  comes  to  you;  or 
unless  chance  accident  throws  him  in  your  way.  May  fate 
send  the  hour !  " 

"  But  I  thought,"  she  said  timidly,  "  I  feared  —  he  was 
going  back  to  England." 

Hugh's  brow  clouded.  "  He  is,"  he  said ;  "  almost  at 
once.  He  will  be  here  only  for  one  week;  he  sails  the 
twenty-fifth  —  on  the  Waldravia"  .  .  . 

Falls  arrived  at  midnight,  his  train  rolling  into  a  station 
dark  as  Erebus. 


316  THE   NORTHERNER 

He  alighted  amid  a  crowd  of  growling,  swearing  pas 
sengers —  traveling  men,  for  the  most  part  —  listening 
with  grim  amusement  as  they  cursed  the  town's  admin 
istration  with  fluency  and  abandon,  while  they  stumbled 
down  the  steps  and  about  the  unlighted  station.  A  lantern 
here  and  there  in  the  hand  of  a  train-man,  the  lamps  of 
the  waiting  cabs  and  carriages,  the  sickly  gleam  of  coal 
oil  from  the  ticket  offices  and  waiting-rooms,  alone  miti 
gated  the  universal  gloom. 

"  Cab,  sur  —  dat  yu',  Mis'r  Falls  ?  Lem'me  tek  yer 
up.  Power-house?  She  's  shet  down,  sur  —  ya-as,  sur 
—  nigh  on  to  two  weeks,  sur.  What,  sur?  We  ain't  dun 
had  no  lights,  er  no  kind.  .  .  .  Mr.  Watson's  'partment? 
Ya-as,  sur,  I  knows,  sur,  —  Leftwich  Building.  Thanky, 
sur!" 

In  the  familiar  rooms,  which  were  cosy  and  clean,  with 
a  bare,  manlike  cleanliness  —  Falls  had  inherited  the  Hon 
orable  Peter  since  Hugh's  marriage  —  he  flung  himself 
moodily  into  a  chair,  and  clasping  his  hands  behind  his 
head  stared  absently  in  front  of  him  with  eyes  which  saw 
close  ahead  the  wreck  of  his  business  prospects.  The  fierce 
passion  of  anger  and  revenge  which  had  torn  him  when 
his  machinery  had  been  wrecked  that  first  time  had  given 
place  to  a  dull  quiet.  The  game  was  about  played  out,  and 
his  stake  swept  off  the  table.  There  remained  to  him  but 
to  rise  and  go  his  way ;  to  cut  off  with  one  clean  blow  the 
encumbering  wreck  of  his  ten  months  in  Dixie;  to  kill 
memory  with  work;  to  sanely  and  bravely  grasp  life  at 
another  point,  and  to  bury  this  dead  year  deep  out  of 
sight.  .  .  . 

A  trembling  little  form  had  crept  upon  his  knee,  a 
wriggling  little  body  clambered  over  his  bosom,  Bobby's 


"MY    LOVE    IN    DIXIE"          317 

warm  tongue  kissed  his  cheek.  Falls's  blank  eyes,  coming 
slowly  back  to  life,  became  conscious  that  they  rested  upon 
Joan's  face  in  its  medallion  frame  on  the  mantel,  and 
she  seemed  to  smile  upon  him,  tender,  debonair,  clad  in 
the  lovely  ball-gown  which  she  had  worn  that  eventful 
night.  Falls  rose  and  leaned  over  it,  studying  it  with 
bitter  eyes. 

He  turned  from  it  with  a  harsh  laugh.  "  All  of  a  piece," 
he  muttered,  "  all  of  a  piece !  Dixie  and  Dixie's  daugh 
ter!" 

As  he  turned  away,  a  rapid,  stumbling  step  upon  the 
stair  caught  his  ear;  he  sprang  to  the  door. 

"Hugh!" 

"Falls,  old  fellow!" 

A  strong  hand-clasp,  a  moment's  silent  gaze  eye  to  eye, 
then  a  joyous  chuckle  from  Watson,  as  he  fumbled  in 
his  pocket  and  handed  a  scrap  of  yellow  paper  to  Falls. 

"  We  've  won  out !  The  opinion  has  been  handed  down, 
and  the  Tenth  Circuit  is  a  last  year's  bird's  nest.  Tony 
is  a  naked,  wandering,  melancholy  ghost  of  a  back  number. 
Moral  —  " 

"Let  Cruikshanks  go.  He  7s  past."  Falls  flung  the 
scrap  of  paper  on  the  table.  "  That  draws  the  Cumber 
land  Gas  Company's  last  trump.  Now  with  the  London 
and  Edinboro'  Consolidated  Companies,  Limited,  as  a 
lever,  why  should  we  not  take  a  turn  at  the  screw  ourselves, 
Hugh?" 

"  Aye !  "  cried  Hugh  exultingly.  "  Why  not  indeed ! 
You  have  McCormack  ?  Then  we  '11  stick  our  '  local  capi 
talists  '  for  punitive  damages  in  the  Federal  courts. 
'  Sting  money '  will  make  Evert  and  Hallett  sweat  worse 
than  the  old  General  did  under  that  B.  H.  &  Q.  business." 


3i8  THE   NORTHERNER 

"You  know,"  said  Falls  steadily,  his  firm  hand  on 
Bobby's  silvery  coat,  stroking  it  softly,  —  "you  know, 
Watson,  that  my  own  stake  has  gone  down  with  the  Power 
and  Passenger  Company.  I  will  turn  it  over  to  the  Lon 
don  and  Edinboro',  but,  owning  both,  it  seems  to  me  they 
can  dictate  terms  to  the  honorable  city  of  '  'Dairville ' !  " 

There  was  a  bitter  ring  in  Falls's  voice  new  to  Hugh, 
and  he  turned  to  him  with  anxious,  covert  scrutiny  as 
he  replied: 

"Judge  Adair  told  me  six  weeks  ago  that  this  would 
be  the  result  of  this  entanglement;  he  does  not  advise 
litigation;  but  I  do.  I  would  give  ten  years  of  my  life 
to  squeeze  that  ring !  We  '11  do  it,  Greg !  You  will  make 
more  money  this  way,  Falls,"  he  went  on,  "  and  have 
a  better  time,  managing  here  for  the  London  and  Edin- 
boro'  — " 

"Yes?"  absently.  "I  'm  not  so  keen  about  money  as 
I  was.  If  Bobby  can  have  his  chop  and  a  nigger  to  give 
him  his  bath,  we  '11  pull  through."  He  shook  the  little 
dog  lovingly.  "  We  are  not  such  high-rollers  as  we  were, 
are  we,  Bobby?  And  we  '11  not  manage  for  the  London 
and  Edinboro'  —  shall  we,  Bob- White?  We  '11  see  the 
world  together ;  Dixie  has  passed  —  for  us !  "  His  voice 
shook  on  the  last  words.  He  rose  and  wandered  restlessly 
about  the  rooms.  Watson  noted  that  his  old,  keen  vigor 
seemed  dimmed,  the  fold  in  his  brow  deeper;  he  paused 
before  the  mantelpiece  again,  and  Watson  rose  and  stood 
beside  him  with  an  arm  about  his  shoulder;  together  and 
silently  they  looked  upon  Joan's  pictured  face,  still  smil 
ing  upon  them  from  the  medallion. 

"  Greg,"  said  Hugh,  at  list,  "  Greg,  kick  me  if  you  like 
—  but  I  \e  got  to  talk ! " 


:<MY    LOVE    IN    DIXIE"          319 

"  Talk  on,  old  man  —  why  not  ?  "  Falls  stooped  as 
he  spoke  and  blew  a  speck  of  dust  off  the  frame,  and  set 
it  straight  with  a  gentle  touch  of  his  firm  hand. 

"  Joan  knows  now,  Falls,  of  her  mistake.  She  knows 
all  —  quite  all !  And  she  has  suffered  —  God,  how  she 
lias  suffered !  Were  Joan  a  man,  Falls,  she  would  follow 
you  to  the  world's  end  to  expiate  with  blood  or  service 
the  wrong  she  did  you  —  just  as  you  or  I  would  do." 

He  ceased,  waiting  for  Falls  to  speak;  but  the  silence 
remained  unbroken ;  there  was  a  hard  look  in  Falls's  eyes. 

Hugh  turned  to  take  his  hat  and  paused. 

"  Greg,"  he  burst  out  restlessly,  "  I  hate  to  have  you 
here  alone.  These  rooms  seem  dreary  after  home.  Come 
back  with  me,  won't  you?  Your  room  is  ready  —  Betty 
told  me  to  bring  you  back;  she  's  looking  for  you." 

"  I  will  come  with  pleasure,  Hugh,  for  a  day  before 
I  leave.  Tell  Mrs.  Watson  so,  and  thank  her  for  me. 
But  these  rooms  are  not  dreary  to  me." 

The  week  of  Falls's  stay  slipped  by  like  a  fevered  dream 
to  Joan.  The  long,  bright  April  days  seemed  to  be  shod 
with  lead  —  yet  winged  with  the  speed  of  light,  as  she 
clung  to  each  hour  that  passed  without  a  word,  a  message, 
from  him.  Too  restless  to  endure  the  silent  house,  she 
spent  the  days  of  sunlight  and  perfume  —  filled  to  the 
brim  with  palpitating  life  and  riotous  bloom  —  in  the 
gardens,  with  her  sunbonnet  tied  under  her  chin  and  her 
trowel  in  her  hand,  making  piteous  pretense  at  work; 
her  eyes  straying  now  and  then  to  the  rocky  road  lead 
ing  up  from  town.  He  would  come  that  way  —  if  he 
came ! 

Joan  knew  from  Watson  that  Falls  was  not  at  the 


320  THE    NORTHERNER 

power-house,  that  he  was  at  Watson's  offices,  and  she  looked 
for  him  always  in  that  direction;  she  would  see  him  far 
down  the  street  —  when  he  came.  And  at  night,  when  the 
kindly  darkness  hid  that  torturing  road,  she  sat  in  the 
wistaria  arbor,  or  paced  the  terraces  with  restless  feet, 
back  and  forth  —  back  and  forth,  listening,  now  that  she 
could  not  see,  for  his  step  upon  the  stair ;  she  had  decided 
that  he  would  come  that  way,  by  the  rose  garden  and  the 
broken  flight  of  marble  stairs  —  if  he  came. 

But  the  days  succeeded  one  another  in  pitiless  indif 
ference  to  her  pain,  and  he  did  not  come.  The  nights 
reeled  round  her,  filled  with  the  cloying  sweetness  of  jas 
mine,  full  of  restless  memories  —  of  unutterable  longing ! 

Wednesday  came  and  passed;  Wednesday  night  — 
Thursday  morning;  the  days  were  being  paid  out  with 
cruel  speed.  Thursday  afternoon  (Falls  was  to  leave  at 
dawn  on  Friday  for  New  York,  sailing  Saturday  at  noon) 
Betty  came  in,  and  found  Joan  among  her  roses,  bare 
headed,  but  gowned  in  filmy  white  —  elaborately  gowned, 
as  Betty's  shrewd  eyes  saw  at  once  —  with  cunning  touches 
and  studied  details.  Betty  wondered. 

"  Are  you  going  to  Mrs.  Westingham's,  after  all  ?  How 
p-e-rf  ectly  —  " 

"  I  am  not  going,"  Joan  hastened  to  say.  "I  —  it  is 
so  hot  —  I  hate  playing  cards  days  like  this." 

"  Why  are  you  so  b-e-a-utifully  gotten  up  to  wander 
about  here  in  the  back  yard?" 

"I  —  I  usually  dress  for  dinner,  Betty  —  " 

"  You  take  dinner  about  seven  this  time  of  year,  and 
it  's  only  half-past  three.  You  got  ready  good  and  early, 
Jo.  Well,  /  'm  going,  and  I  'm  glad  to  have  the  chance, 
too!  Hugh"  —  plaintively  —  "Hugh  thinks  it  is  silly 


"MY    LOVE    IN    DIXIE"          321 

to  play  euchre.  So  I  thought,  as  Challie  is  not  here  to 
day  —  Hugh  ?  Why,  I  thought  you  knew !  Hugh  went 
to  Xew  York  with  Mr.  Falls  this  morning  at  daylight. 
The  Waldravia  sails  Saturday.  Silly  in  Hugh.  He  is 
perfectly  d-af t  about  that  Gregory  Falls !  " 

"Joan,"  said  Judge  Adair  that  night  at  dinner,  "do 
you  remember  Jim  Davidson,  who  so  inconsiderately  left 
me  that  land  in  California  ?  I  've  been  losing  money  right 
along  on  that  ranch.  What  use  in  the  world  Jim  thought 
I  had  for  a  ranch —  Well,  I  ?ve  decided  to  go  out  there 
—  if  you  care  to  go,  and  if  you  can  be  ready  to  leave 
by  the  first  of  the  week  —  " 

"  I  'm  ready  now,"  said  Joan,  still  in  the  dream  from 
which  she  could  not  rouse  herself :  a  tossing  space  of  rough, 
gray  water,  a  big  liner  ploughing  her  way  on  and  on, 
and  a  tall  figure,  a  man  with  his  face  turned  away  from 
the  land  —  she  could  see  his  eyes  steady  and  cold  —  look 
ing  ahead  to  the  life  she  was  not  to  share! 

"  Monday  will  do,"  said  the  old  man  gently ;  "  you 
might  muss  that  pretty  gown  if  we  went  to-night." 

The  girl  threw  herself  eagerly  into  her  preparations, 
ran  gaily  to  and  fro,  talked  brightly  to  her  father  of  their 
plans,  drilled  Milly  Ann,  who  was  to  go,  in  her  duties 
as  a  traveling  maid,  and  the  two  days  sped  by.  But  even 
Sunday  brought  no  rest  to  Joan's  active  feet.  Her  gay 
tongue  did  not  lag  once  all  the  day,  a  bright  spot  of  color 
showed  on  her  soft  cheeks,  her  lips  had  the  polished  tinge 
of  a  tulip  leaf  —  only  her  eyes  were  absent.  That  rough 
water  and  the  big  liner  was  a  speck  now,  the  tall  figure 
lost  —  only  his  eyes  still  haunted  her,  looking  steadily 
into  her  own  with  reproachful  pain. 


322  THE    NORTHERNER 

"  Is  it  your  night  to  look  after  the  door,  or  Zeke's, 
Hilly  Ann?" 

"  It  's  ma  night,  Miss  Jone,  but  Zeke  he  'lowed  —  " 

"  Zeke,  I  am  going  to  the  wistaria  arbor,  and  no  matter 
who  comes,  no  matter  who,  Zeke,  I  am  not  at  home ! " 

"  Ya'as  'm,  Miss  Jone,"  said  Zeke,  and  retired  to  the 
back  gallery  steps  and  the  soft  picking  of  banjo  strings, 
and  Milly  Ann's  demure  black  charms. 

The  silken,  gray-green  foliage  drew  a  rustling  curtain 
about  Joan,  as  she  sat  in  the  corner  of  the  old  bench  with 
dreaming  eyes.  Hot  tears  gathered  and  quivering  sobs 
rose  in  her  throat  as,  one  by  one,  memory  gave  back  to 
her  hungry  heart  his  face,  his  voice,  his  touch. 

Phase  by  phase  the  scene  of  their  parting  came  back 
to  her  with  torturing  vividness.  "  All  —  all !  "  he  had 
said.  She  had  been  so  near  to  him  —  and  now ! 

With  the  long  vision  of  youth's  clear  eyes,  Joan  saw 
the  years  hurrying  to  meet  her,  to  claim  her,  to  cut  her 
off  from  him.  "Get  this  thing  down  —  blot  you  out  of 
my  life  as  men  do,"  he  had  said;  and  why  not?  With 
that  clear  balance  which  was  part  of  her  mental  self,  she 
saw  herself  walking  serenely  on  to  meet  the  insistent  years, 
another  form  beside  Falls;  a  woman's  figure  at  his  side 
—  not  her  own.  The  girl  sprang  up  in  impotent  an 
guish.  Her  soul,  beating  upward  to  where  she  had  been 
taught  to  seek  for  comfort,  asked  the  old  question,  old 
as  love: 

"  Oh,  God  who  put  this  love  into  my  heart,  why  do 
I  suffer  so !  " 

A  man's  step  fell  upon  the  broken  marble  stairs  —  a 
rapid,  ringing  step  that  came  straight  on  toward  her  hid 
ing-place;  a  tall  form  swung  into  a  bar  of  moonlight 


"MY    LOVE    IN    DIXIE "         323 

upon  the  terrace,  and  Joan's  heart  leaped  to  her  parted 
lips,  as,  with  eyes  which  could  not  believe  their  own  joy, 
she  hung  upon  the  familiar  outlines  —  waiting.  How  deep 
those  shadows  were!  It  could  not  be  Gregory,  of  course 
• —  he  had  sailed ! 

The  man  stepped  into  the  second  bar  of  moonlight 
lying  like  a  sheeted  ghost  upon  the  terrace,  and,  with  a 
broken  cry  the  girl  sprang  up,  sped  with  flying  feet  across 
the  dewy  grass,  through  the  honeysuckle  walk,  past  the 
pale  cascades  of  jasmine  into  the  starry  ranks  of  moonlit 
lilies,  and  stopped,  conscious  as  Eve,  but  with  hands  that 
fluttered  toward  him  and  lips  that  breathed  his  name. 

Falls  found  her  thus,  a  Burne-Jones  angel  among  the 
lilies  —  the  night  wind  holding  the  boughs  aside  to  show 
him  her  face. 

"  Is  it  you  ?  "  she  whispered,  unable  still  to  believe  her 
joy,  though  her  hands  were  held  against  his  lips.  a  Did 
—  did  not  the  Waldravia  sail?" 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Falls,  with  his  old,  grave  sim 
plicity,  though  his  voice  was  unsteady,  "  but  when  it  came 
to  the  final  turn  of  the  screw,  I  found  I  could  not  leave 
you,  Joan.  Could  not,  of  my  own  will,  go  where  my  duty 
and  my  manhood  call  me;  and  I  came  back  to  you,  to 
my  love  in  Dixie,  to  ask  her  to  send  me  if  she  will  —  " 

"  To  me  ?  Have  you  come  back  to  me  ?  "  She  swayed 
toward  him  in  the  gloom,  and  Falls  drew  her  close. 

"  Is  it  England  ? "  he  whispered,  his  cheek  on  hers, 
"together?" 

"Yes  — together." 

"  Have  you  thought,"  he  said  at  last,  "  all  that  it  means, 
love,  to  give  up  home,  and  kin,  and  friends  —  even  your 
father?" 


324  THE   NORTHERNER 

"  Father?  "  she  faltered. 

"Yes,"  he  told  her  steadily,  "your  father,  too." 

The  girl  paused  upon  her  answer,  and  Falls  strained 
her  to  him  in  an  agony  of  suspense;  the  very  currents 
of  his  blood  seemed  to  stop,  to  wait  upon  her  words. 

She  stirred  in  his  embrace,  lifted  her  face  to  his,  met 
his  eyes  through  the  gloom  steadily  with  her  own. 

"  I  have  thought  now,  Gregory,"  she  whispered,  in  a 
happy,  breathless  voice. 

"Is  it_» 

"You!" 


PRINCESS  MARITZA 

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CASTLE  CRANEYCROW 

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